OSHA hits Naperville construction company with third fine

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational and Safety and Health Administration has fined a Naperville construction company over safety violations for the third time in four years.

Kellenberger Plumbing and Underground was cited for one willful and one serious safety violation for failing to provide cave-in protection or having a competent person on site to remove employees from a hazardous area and fined $59,290, according to OSHA.

The federal agency began investigating after getting a complaint that two workers were removing a sewer line in a trench more than eight feet deep at a Naperville construction site on March 4.

“An unprotected trench can bury a worker under thousands of pounds of soil in seconds and cause severe or fatal injuries,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director, based in Calumet City. “Since 2012, OSHA has now cited Kellenberger Plumbing three times for violating federal trenching standards. The company knows that every trench deeper than five feet must have cave-in protection. They are putting their employees in serious danger by ignoring federal safety standards.”