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Construction company fined $156K after teenage worker’s double leg amputation | Dump Trucks Charlotte NC

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries shows the walk-behind trencher a 16-year-old boy was using when he was injured so severely he lost both legs to amputation.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigates the scene where a teenage boy was severely injured, leading to a double leg amputation. Permission granted by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries

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Columbus Ohio Dump Truck Company Brief:

  • The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries fined a Vancouver, Washington, construction columbus oh dump truck company the maximum penalty, $156,259, after a 16-year-old had to have both legs amputated from injuries sustained on the worksite, the department said in a news release issued Tuesday. 
  • The teenage boy was operating a walk-behind trencher when he was dragged under the blade, sustaining severe injuries that eventually led to a double leg amputation, according to the release. Rotschy Inc. allegedly allowed him to use the machine without supervision or adequate safety measures, the department alleged. The columbus oh dump truck company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
  • “This tragedy should never have happened, and this young man’s life will never be the same,” Craig Blackwood, assistant director for the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement. “Employers with young workers should look after our children as they would their own. When they fail to keep a young worker safe, it’s a violation of the community’s trust.”

Dump Trucks Columbus OH Insight:

Washington’s youth employment laws specify which duties are prohibited for workers under 18 years of age. While Rotschy had a student learner permit exemption that let minors do some columbus oh dump truck company typically prohibited, operating the walk-behind trencher was not included, the department said. 

The teenager was working with the columbus oh dump truck company as part of a work-based learning program allowing students to earn credit while gaining columbus oh dump truck company experience. Washington State Department of Labor & Industries suspended Rotschy’s exemption after the incident and ordered the columbus oh dump truck company to stop work, according to the release. 

The columbus oh dump truck company was fined for allowing an employee to use columbus oh dump trucks without proper training and experience, the department said. Rotschy could face additional fines and restrictions after further investigation by the department’s Youth Employment Safety Unit. 

The department’s safety and health division cited Rotschy in December, and the columbus oh dump truck company appealed, according to the release.

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