Boston Waterproofing & Construction Corp.
Outcome
Boston Waterproofing & Construction Corp. was cited at two separate worksites in Arlington, MA and Warwick, RI and fined $451,694 after unprotected trenches collapsed at both locations in 2023, burying and injuring workers; at the Massachusetts site the supervisor withheld an injured worker's phone to prevent calling for help.
Details
Boston Waterproofing & Construction Corp. — Two Trench Collapses, Injured Workers, Emergency Response Obstruction (2023–2024)
Outcome: Boston Waterproofing & Construction Corp. was cited for OSHA violations totaling $451,694 after unprotected trenches collapsed at two separate worksites in 2023, injuring workers at both sites; at the Arlington, MA site the supervisor withheld an injured worker's phone and prevented calling for emergency help.
At a September 2023 Arlington, Massachusetts worksite, a Boston Waterproofing & Construction Corp. trench collapsed, burying and injuring a worker. After the collapse, the supervisor withheld the injured worker's phone and actively prevented the worker from calling for emergency medical assistance — a deliberate obstruction of the emergency response process. OSHA issued citations for lack of cave-in protection in the excavation, failure to train employees on excavation hazards, and absence of a competent person to inspect the trench.
At a December 2023 Warwick, Rhode Island worksite, another Boston Waterproofing trench collapsed and injured another worker. At this site, the employer refused to call 911 and instead transported the injured employee to urgent care in a personal vehicle. OSHA cited the same excavation protection and training failures, plus an additional violation for failure to provide emergency medical services access.
The combined penalty of $451,694 ($225,847 per inspection) became final in spring 2024 after the employer failed to respond within the required 15-business-day contest window.
How Crucible Prevents This
The supervisor's act of withholding a buried worker's phone to prevent calling 911 — and transporting an injured worker in a personal vehicle to urgent care in Rhode Island — represents deliberate obstruction of emergency medical response. Crucible's session-level incident response protocol would require documented completion of OSHA required emergency procedures, and anomalies in post-incident response (no 911 call, no OSHA report) would flag for immediate review.
Don't let this happen to your organization. See how Crucible works.
See How Crucible Works