CMD Endeavors Inc.
Outcome
CMD Endeavors Inc. was cited for one willful, two repeat, and one serious OSHA violation and fined $260,848 after a 37-year-old pipe layer died in February 2024 when a trench collapsed on the Cedar Grove Waterline Replacement project in El Paso — the company's seventh trenching-related OSHA citation since 2015.
Details
CMD Endeavors Inc. — Pipe Layer Killed in Trench, Seventh Trenching Citation Since 2015 (2024)
Outcome: A 37-year-old pipe layer died in February 2024 when a trench collapsed during waterline replacement work in El Paso, Texas; OSHA cited CMD Endeavors Inc. for one willful, two repeat, and one serious violation and proposed $260,848 in penalties — the company's seventh trenching-related OSHA citation since 2015.
In February 2024, a 37-year-old pipe layer employed by CMD Endeavors Inc. was working in an unprotected excavation on the Cedar Grove Waterline Replacement project in El Paso, Texas when the trench collapsed. Asphalt fell into the trench and fatally injured the worker. The company had allowed the worker to work in the excavation without any required protective system to prevent cave-in.
OSHA's investigation found CMD Endeavors had been cited for similar trench safety violations six times since 2015 — a pattern spanning nearly a decade. The agency issued one willful violation for the knowing failure to implement protective systems, two repeat violations reflecting the re-cited prior deficiencies, and one serious violation. The proposed penalty was $260,848. OSHA stated: "Despite repeated citations and warnings about the dangers of unprotected trenches, CMD Endeavors has ignored the hazards for nearly a decade."
Primary Source: US Department of Labor cites El Paso contractor for repeated, willful failure to follow federal safety measures in trench fatality
How Crucible Prevents This
CMD Endeavors' nine-year pattern of six prior trenching citations before this 2024 fatality represents one of the most documented cases of willful recidivism in OSHA's enforcement record. OSHA stated the company had "ignored the hazards for nearly a decade" despite repeated citations and warnings. Crucible's compliance escalation model — requiring contractor pre-qualification screening that checks citation history — would have identified CMD Endeavors as a high-risk contractor before any new public works projects were awarded.
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