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The Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Division has fined an Estacada contractor for a trench collapse that killed a 29-year-old employee this past spring.

The agency released the findings of its investigation into TC Excavating聽and聽the accident that killed Michael Casey Holland.

At around 11:50 a.m. on May 5, TC Excavating was working its second day installing a new sewer line for a home belonging to John West at 8122 S.W. 54th Ave. Holland and another employee, Kainen Burkenbine, were working in shored excavation about 10 feet deep.

According to the accident synopsis released Tuesday, Holland was on his hands and knees working between two pieces of shoring spaced 15 feet apart when an unprotected wall collapsed, burying him in about 6 feet of dirt. The investigation found that the two pieces of shoring were spaced too far apart to handle the unstable soils, and they should been placed no more than 8 feet apart.

One of TC Excavating’s owners, Jason Walters, was said to be on-site during the cave-in and admitted to investigators to being negligent in allowing his workers to work in the hazardous situation. The report further cites the foreman, Chris Makuch, who was working within visual distance and allowed employees to work in an unprotected excavation. Makuch had not read the shoring requirements, according to the report, and admitted to investigators that he did not know how to classify the soil type and didn’t perform a manual or visual soil test.

Oregon OSHA hit TC Excavating with the maximum penalty for willful violations 鈥� $70,000. In addition, three serious violations were issued 鈥� those totaled $2,800.

OSHA considers a violation 鈥渨illful鈥� when an employer knowingly or intentionally allows it to occur.

When Walters was reached for comment, the phone line went dead and he didn’t answer a follow-up call.

TC Excavating has operated in the Portland area since 1963.