U.S. Department of Labor accuses South Florida utility contractor of hazards at Naples job site

An underground utility contractor has been fined after workplace inspectors reported finding an unsafe job site in Naples Park.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported Wednesday that Douglas N. Higgins Inc. exposed employees to what inspectors describe as cave-in and other trenching hazards at a local work site.

According to its website, the company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices in Naples and Key West. A representative for the company could not immediately be reached for comment by email or phone.

The contractor faces $18,659 in proposed penalties, according to the June 6 citation. 

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The fine stems from a December 2017 inspection of a job site at 107th Avenue North and Seventh Street North as part of OSHA's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation. 

OSHA accused Higgins of allowing employees to work in a trench without proper protection and for failing to maintain a safety and health program on excavation hazards.  

This is not the first time Higgins has been cited or penalized by OSHA.

OSHA cited the company in January 2017 when three employees died from exposure to toxic gases while working in a manhole and again in May 2018 when a steel plate fell on an employee, causing fatal injuries. It was unclear Wednesday where those incidents took place.

"Despite being recently cited for violations that contributed to four worker fatalities, this employer continues to disregard well-known safety and health requirements," said Condell Eastmond, an area office director for OSHA in Fort Lauderdale, in a written statement. "Employers involved in excavation work must follow safety procedures to ensure that workers are properly protected from a trench collapse and other trench hazards."

The company has 15 business days to come into compliance with safety requirements, to request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or to contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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