Contractor Fined $75K for Alleged Safety Violations in Minnesota

Federal safety officials have fined an industrial contractor’s Minnesota operations $75,000 for alleged safety infractions relating to trench-digging.

MasTec Inc.’s Hugo, Minn., site is accused of two repeat violations of federal trenching safety standards.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the fine Friday. A message left with MasTec was not immediately returned.

OSHA says the violations stem from a trench being dug in Madison five months ago.

The safety agency says a compliance officer found that material removed from the trench was placed within two feet of the trench’s edge. That could lead to injuries or fatalities if the material were to slide back into the trench.

MasTec has been issued a total of 13 citations in the past three years.

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration: http://osha.gov/