ALBEMARLE, N.C. — A local construction company has been fined more than $60,000 for multiple citations in connection with a trench collapse that killed one worker this past July, according to the North Carolina Department of Labor.
The trench collapse happened on July 5 at a construction area near Hatley Farm Road and Highway 73 in Albemarle, which is northeast of Charlotte. Stanly County Emergency Services Director Michael Roark told Channel 9 that the crew member was working in the trench when it collapsed.
The worker, later identified as Joshua Kerry Brindle, was trapped, but died from his injuries. Channel 9 later learned that Brindle’s father owned the company that was working in the construction area, Brindle Site Services.
Last week, Brindle Site Services was issued one “willful serious” citation and another “serious” citation for the trench collapse, according to the NC Dept. of Labor.
A report obtained by Channel 9 says the first citation was issued because “employees were working in an unprotected trench that measured 8.5 feet deep by approximately 4 feet wide with vertical side walls.”
The second citation was issued in three parts, according to the report. The first item said that employees had not received training to recognize and avoid hazards “such as engulfment, asphyxiation, or [being] struck by debris.” The second item said employees were exposed to hazards due to a pile of excavated material being located directly at the edge of the excavation. The third item said there was no daily inspection of the trench where Brindle got trapped.
The Department of Labor says Brindle Site Services will have to pay $43,506 for the first citation and $23,203.20 for the second citation, totaling $66,709.20.
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