Federal safety officials are coming down hard on Revoli Construction after a deadly trench collapse on a Yarmouth sewer project, proposing nearly $4.7 million in penalties for what they say were willful and repeated safety failures tied to the November death of 61-year-old worker Miguel Reis. The collapse happened on Nov. 18, 2025, along South Shore Drive during sewer-line work, when a section of trench gave way near Parker’s River Beach. One worker was killed and at least one more was seriously injured. Revoli now faces dozens of citations and will have a chance to push back on the findings in the coming weeks, as per the U.S. Department of Labor.
OSHA findings and penalties
Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration say the collapse stemmed from inadequate cave-in protection and a string of other preventable safety failures. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the agency issued seven willful, 33 repeat and 17 serious citations, adding up to $4,699,362 in proposed penalties.
Among the violations cited by federal officials were spoil piles placed too close to the trench, unsupported underground utilities, use of damaged protective systems and failure to install shoring in line with the design. Revoli has 15 business days to either comply, request an informal conference or formally contest the citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The collapse and the victim
Investigators determined that workers were removing sandy backfill and setting steel plates outside the excavation when the trench walls suddenly caved in, burying two men. One of them, identified by The Boston Globe as 61-year-old Miguel Reis of Fall River, later died from his injuries.
Reis was an immigrant from the Azores who left behind a wife and two adult children. The Globe and other local reports noted that the collapse took place near Parker’s River Beach at 125 South Shore Drive, on a stretch of the sewer project that had already drawn attention before the fatal incident.
Town response and project status
In the aftermath of Reis’s death, Yarmouth officials moved to tighten oversight on the work. In January, the town’s select board voted to require a full-time qualified safety professional on site for any remaining trench operations, with explicit authority to shut down work that appears unsafe.
In a public statement, the Town of Yarmouth said the new measure was driven by safety concerns on the sewer project, which town records show was awarded at roughly $18 million and still has about 150 feet of deep trenching left to complete. Town officials added that the incident remains under investigation by the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office, working alongside OSHA and state police.
Penalties, next steps and legal outlook
OSHA officials did not mince words about what they say went wrong in Yarmouth. The collapse is “a solemn reminder of the dangers construction workers face when basic safety procedures and safe engineering solutions are ignored,” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Labor said the steep penalties are intended to push for corrective action and more robust training at Revoli. The company, however, is entitled to contest the citations. If it does, the case could land before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for an independent review of OSHA’s findings and proposed fines.
Context: trench safety and enforcement
Trench cave-ins rank among the deadliest hazards in construction, with seconds often making the difference between a close call and a fatality. Federal regulators have ramped up trenching and excavation enforcement in recent years, and industry outlets have framed the Revoli penalties as part of that broader crackdown, stressing the need for proper shoring, shielding and spoil-pile placement at every dig.
Local labor and safety advocates have argued that what happened in Yarmouth shows how fast excavation mistakes can turn catastrophic on public works sites. They have urged stronger oversight, more training and a tougher stance on repeat offenders in high-risk work such as deep sewer trenching.
Revoli did not immediately respond to requests for comment, as reported by The Boston Globe. Town and federal agencies say their investigations will continue as the company weighs whether to fight the citations or start cutting checks and changing practices.
