43
OSHA: Company didn’t shore up trench
By GRACE WYLER
CANFIELD
The company that dug the trench that collapsed on two workers in Hudson on Wednesday violated work-site safety standards, said Scott Allan, regional director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The collapse killed James “Bo” Wetzl of Canfield and injured Albert Joseph Bagnoli Jr., whose address could not be determined. Bagnoli was trapped in the trench for five hours and remained in serious condition in the intensive-care unit of Akron City Hospital on Friday.
“This was a tragic accident that should not have happened,” said Allan, based in Chicago. “We know that the company did not have appropriate safety precautions in place.”
The excavation company, A. Bagnoli and Sons, did not make any effort to protect the walls of the trench from collapse, Allan said.
“They didn’t have the appropriate equipment to shore up the trench,” Allan said. “All trenches deeper than 5 feet have to be shored — any company that is trenching knows this.”
The Vindicator’s attempts to contact the Boardman office of A. Bagnoli and Sons in person and by phone were unsuccessful.
A. Bagnoli and Sons has had one other known safety violation, Allan said. The company paid $525 for an unspecified 1998 incident on a work site in Canfield, he said.
Americo Cornacchione, the property developer who hired A. Bagnoli and Sons for the Hudson project — four single-family homes — said he was not certain what relation Albert Joseph Bagnoli Jr. had to the owners of the company.
OSHA is still trying to determine what type of safety violation caused the trench to collapse, Allan said.
When the investigation is complete, the agency will determine a fine for A. Bagnoli and Sons, Allan said.
The agency also has the authority to press criminal charges against the company, he said.
The site of the accident has been secured by Summit County authorities until the OSHA investigation is complete.
Allan thanked the authorities for their rescue efforts and assistance.
“We want to praise the wonderful work of the Summit County rescue team,” Allan said. “And also express our condolences to the family of the worker who needlessly died.”
The family of James Wetzl has created a memorial fund in his honor. Donations can be made to the James “Bo” Wetzl Memorial Fund at any branch of Home Savings and Loan.