ByThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration has labeled A4S Construction a “severe violator” of worker safety measures following the 2021 collapse of a sewer trench that killed one employee and temporarily trapped two others.
OSHA, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, announced Tuesday it has placed the Vail-based firm in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program and has proposed penalties totaling $449,583 against the company.The company has 15 days to respond to the announcement, either by immediately complying with the enforcement and fines, contesting OSHA’s findings, or meeting directly with an OSHAA4S workers were installing sewer line for a new development in Breckenridge on Nov.
Reinforced steel walls that are used to protect workers from such collapses were not in place at the time of the incident, per OSHA, despite other trenches on the project having caved in on previous occasions.“A4S Construction’s failure to comply with excavation requirements cost a worker his life,” said OSHA Area Director Amanda Kupper in Denver.
A4S Construction first registered as a business with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office in 2007. Peter Lynn Dillon of Avon is listed as its executive. The company is shown to be in “good standing” status with the state office. A message requesting comment was left Sunday on the company’s phone. This story will be update with any reply.Logan Smith is an assignment desk editor at CBS4 with more than 30 years of journalism experience in print and television media.