Teichert Construction is appealing a $140,000 citation issued by the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety in the wake of a fatal accident causing the death of two Teichert construction workers at the corner Niblick and South River roads in October 2008.

The citation and notice of penalty issued by Cal/OSHA on Feb. 2 cites two willful accident-related citations involving subsurface installations and removal of employees from hazardous areas. The citation alleges the employer was aware the workplace represented a hazard but made no reasonable effort to address it.

The victims, 24-year-old Jacob Gaines of Bakersfield and 38-year-old Manuel Villagomez of Elk Grove, were reportedly sucked into and drowned inside a 30-inch underground pipe they were working in after an excavator hit a nearby eight-inch water pipe.

At the time of the accident, employees were working under the direction of Hank Duggins, a foreman for Teichert Construction, according to the citation.

Cal/OSHA alleges that Duggins was informed numerous times of the existence of a water line, first during a walk-through held with a Paso Robles city staffer a few weeks prior and subsequently before the accident by Steve Arrington, pipeline inspector for Jacobs Engineering, according to the citation.





For the complete article see the 03-03-2009 issue.

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