OSHA cites West Manheim Township contractor: C & G Refrigeration could face more than $61,000 in penalties

Federal safety officials have cited a West Manheim Township contractor with "severe" safety violations for allegedly exposing workers to hazardous conditions while they worked in a trench, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the company, C & G Refrigeration Inc., in August and found that it had committed several violations while performing underground utility work in a 13-foot trench at a Hanover home.

Violations included not providing a cave-in protective system in the trench, not keeping excavation materials at least two feet from the excavation's edge, not instructing employees about recognizing unsafe conditions and failing to have a competent person conduct an investigation of the excavation, the release states.

C & G is a plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractor headquartered in the 2600 block of Baltimore Pike. An answering service for the company said Wednesday afternoon that no one was immediately available for comment.

These incidents mark the second time OSHA has cited C & G Refrigeration, according to the release.

In April 2013, officials cited the company with four safety violations after a trench collapse at a work site in Hanover. Though there were no injuries in the collapse, investigators found employees working in an unprotected trench that was 7 feet deep.

Because of the repeat nature of the most recent citations, OSHA has cited C & G with committing "willful violations," which occur when an employer "intentionally and knowingly commits a violation with plain indifference to the law," the release states.

These violations carry a $61,600 penalty. The company also faces a "serious" violation for not ensuring workers used protective helmets while in the trench, which carries an additional $3,080 penalty.

A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known, according to the release.

"An unprotected trench can quickly become a grave without the proper safeguards in place. This is why it is critical for employers in this industry to ensure that trenching safeguards are in place," Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's Harrisburg Area Office, said in the release.

C & G has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: The Evening Sun