Contractor Faces $255K Fine for 20-Year Old Worker’s Death in Trench Collapse

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a Pennsylvania excavation contractor for safety violations after a 20-year old Maryland worker was killed in a trench collapse. OSHA opened an investigation into Jonas David Wagoner and his J.D. Wagoner Excavating on April 2, 2026, and found workers were installing a storm sewer system 12 feet below ground level in a trench that was not adequately protected from soil collapse. When a portion of the trench’s wall failed, the unrestrained soil engulfed one worker. The agency issued a willful violation for failure to protect workers from cave-ins and two repeat violations for failing to assign a competent person to conduct daily trench inspections and removing employees from hazardous conditions. In addition, the employer received three serious violations for failure to provide construction hazard prevention training. establish a safe means for workers to exit the excavation site, keep materials at least two feet from the edge of an excavation site, and restrain side materials from becoming roll-in hazards. OSHA proposed $254,884 in penalties. The employer has 15 business days to contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Topics Contractors Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Here are more articles you may enjoy.