Sewer line workers crushed by ‘thousands of pounds of soil and rocks’ in Texas, feds say

Two workers were installing sewer lines in a trench more than two stories below ground in Texas when they were killed, authorities said.

Their deaths in June spurred an investigation with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which found a Georgetown construction company gave the contracted employees “little chance of survival,” according to a Dec. 22 news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“A large section of the excavation collapsed, crushing them under thousands of pounds of soil and rocks,” authorities said, adding that WBW Construction LLC failed to take legally required safety precautions.

WBW Construction LLC, a Georgetown construction contractor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Dec. 23.

“WBW Construction LLC willfully sent these workers into an unprotected trench and ignored federal safety requirements,” OSHA Area Director Casey Perkins said in the release. “Now, two workers’ families, friends and co-workers are left to grieve their tragic, and avoidable, deaths.”

Investigators found that the contractor did not have a trench protective system in place, and there was no exit point within 25 feet inside the trench at the Jarrell residential construction site, according to the release.

The company also did not use ladders as designed, failed to inspect the site as frequently as federally required, did not remove water from the trench and failed to provide first-aid training to workers, authorities said.

“Incidents like this can be prevented by following proven and well-known methods to protect workers from the deadly hazards in trenching and excavation work,” Perkins said.

OSHA proposed $250,272 in penalties and put WBW Construction LLC in a Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

Sedona Staffing Services — an Illinois-based company offering temporary staffing — provided the two employees who were killed, officials said.

The company was cited for not inspecting job sites and faces $9,324 in penalties.

Sedona Staffing Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Dec. 23.

Both companies have 15 business days from when they received the citation notices to comply, request a meeting with OSHA or contest the findings.

In 2022, OSHA has reported more than 35 workers killed in trenching and excavation work through November, according to the release. That’s more than double the number of trenching and excavation employees killed in 2021.

WBW Construction LLC has developed more than 24 Texas residential and commercial projects, officials said.

Jarrell is about 15 miles northeast of Georgetown and 40 miles from Austin.

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