The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) has fined Hillsboro-based Renner Trucking and Excavating $80,804 for repeatedly violating rules that protect workers from trenches caving in on them.

Oregon OSHA issued a citation to the company on May 12 following an inspection that found two employees working in a trench with no protective system in place. The trench – about 3 feet wide by 12 feet long and more than 5 feet deep – was part of a home construction project in Beaverton, according to the agency.

Altogether, Oregon OSHA cited Renner Trucking and Excavating for three violations of the Oregon Safe Employment Act. Those violations included failure to provide a sufficient protective system to protect employees from a trench collapse, a first-repeat violation with a penalty of $39,696; failure to ensure a competent person was available to identify and address existing and predictable trench hazards, a first-repeat violation with a penalty of $39,696; and failure to provide adequate protection for employees from loose rock or soil potentially falling from the face of the trench onto their heads, a serious violation with a penalty of $1,412.

The total penalty issued to the company included a standard reduction based on the size of the company. Employers have 30 calendar days after receiving a citation to file an appeal.

Renner Trucking and Excavating Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The Oregon Home Builders Association (OHBA) is offering a free online course to help contractors maintain safe jobsites and comply with Gov. Kate Brown’s “Stay Home, Save Lives” order.

The course details COVID-19 safety recommendations and includes an on-site checklist detailing best practices for social distancing, personal protective equipment, cleaning and sanitation, jobsite visitors, and more. The materials are the result of guidelines developed by OHBA in partnership with the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division and the state’s Construction Contractors Board.

“We appreciate the active role the construction industry has taken in educating its workforce regarding jobsite best practices and in striving for 100 percent compliance with social distancing requirements,” Oregon OSHA administrator Michael Wood stated in a press release. “These efforts are critical to protecting public health and the safety of construction workers.”

People who complete the course, which is free to both OHBA members and nonmembers, will earn one continuing education credit. More information and additional COVID-19 response resources are available at .

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