This looks like a pretty fucking big, decent, knowledgeable, professional company, doesn't it?

Sunesis has been in the construction industry for 10 years and most of our employees have been in the industry much longer. With more than 100 employees and a vast array of equipment, we are prompt, efficient and very competitive.

We are experienced in construction projects of many sizes and types. Our projects range from $50,000 to $5,000,000 and encompass various industries - public, private, commercial, industrial and heavy/highway.

Performance and service are important to us! We continually work to improve through innovative ideas and new technologies, and our staff is experienced, committed and knowledgeable about the construction industry. We can handle various construction challenges and complexities and still deliver your project on time and within budget.

Google them and you get almost 1,000 hits about all the contracts they've won.

So what they hell are they sending a worker to his death down a 25 foot deep trench?

And another thing while I'm foaming at the mouth. Sunesis was the contractor for the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati. Don't municipalities have some responsibility to make sure that their contractors are operating safely? And once they kill someone in such blatant disregard for the law or human life, shouldn't Sunesis lose the right to get any more government contracts?

Just asking.

UPDATE: Apparently, the company was rushing to meet a deadline. OK, that explains it.

And Cincinnati New 5 reports the death as a "freak accident." It was not a freak accident. There's a very well known OSHA regulation prohibiting workers from going into an unprotected trench that is over 5 feet deep. Nothing "freak" about it. It was predictable, forseeable and preventable.

UPDATE 2:Ran across the contract for the Deer Park project. Seems the contractor was supposed to maintain a safe workplace:

B. The Contractor shall at all times conduct the work safely in order to assure a safe work site. The Contractor shall be responsible for the safety of the Contractor?s employees, agents and subcontractors, City personnel and all other personnel or persons at the work site. The Contractor shall be responsible for the adequacy and safety of all construction methods or procedures and the safe prosecution of the work.

C. The Contractor shall be responsible at all times to conduct the work and keep the work site in compliance with federal, state and local safety laws and regulations, including but not limited to Occupational Safety and health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

Nope, didn't find anything that says "...unless you're really in a hurry."

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Labels: Criminal Prosecution, Trench Hazards