RIGID Constructors failed to provide worker training and personal protective equipment
LELAND, N.C – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the drowning of a 27-year-old heavy equipment operator at a construction site in Leland found that the employer could have prevented the fatal incident by following applicable safety regulations.
An investigation into the August 2024 incident by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a heavy equipment operator and a foreman at RIGID Constructors LLC were repositioning a pump on Cell-3 Eagle Island with an amphibious excavator. When attempting to leave the water-filled cell, the machine tipped over and the operator became trapped under water. The crew and emergency services were unable to revive the operator.
OSHA cited the Louisiana contractor with four major violations for failing to train workers on how to operate a swamp hoe and for failing to provide or require employees to use personal protective and life-saving equipment while they worked near the water-filled excavation site . The employer also failed to provide workers with a boat that they could use immediately in the event of an emergency.
“RIGID Constructors’ failure to comply with federal safety and health standards resulted in a preventable tragedy,” said Kimberley Morton, OSHA area manager in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Safety cannot just be a marketing slogan or an afterthought, it must be a core commitment. Safety at work is not optional, a privilege for some, or merely a recommendation; it is the law.”
OSHA assessed the employer $50,703 in proposed penalties.
RIGID Constructors, based in Lafayette, is a private construction company And Provider of heavy civil engineering and shipbuilding services and employs around 370 people nationwide.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or appeal the findings to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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