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| Jacob James Casher, 21, of Clearfield died on Monday, September 28, 2015. |
Beaver County Man Pleads Guilty to Violating OSHA Regulation that Caused an Employee’s Death
PITTSBURGH, PA- A resident in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of Willful Violation of an OSHA Regulation Causing the Death of an Employee, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
Wayne A. George, d/b/a A Rooter Man of Pittsburgh, LLC, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count before United States Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Eddy.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was told that Wayne A. George, d/b/a A Rooter Man of Pittsburgh, LLC, employed an individual who died as a result of willful violation of standards promulgated which requires employers to take protective measures against cave-ins before permitting their employees to work in trenches.
On September 28, 2015, a 21-year-old Rooter Man employee, Jacob Casher, was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed at a worksite in Penn Township, Butler County. Mr. Casher was helping to replace a sewer line 11 feet below the surface in unstable soil with no cave-in protection, at the direction of his supervisor, Wayne George.
Judge Eddy scheduled sentencing for February 21, 2018. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of six months in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Nelson P. Cohen is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Regional Solicitor, conducted the investigation leading to the information in this case.
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PENN TWP., PA — Jacob Casher’s work day for a Clearfield County sewage system maintenance company was finished Monday afternoon when he jumped into a deep trench to retrieve a shovel left behind.
Moments later, the nearly 12-foot walls of soil gave way and buried Casher at a work site behind the Shelbourne Personal Care home on Dinnerbell Road.
His co-workers immediately leaped in and dug away at the dirt, frantically trying to save their colleague and friend.
It would be too late by the time they reached him. Casher, who just celebrated his 21st birthday earlier this month, was dead.
“I think he died shortly after the cave in,“ said Butler County Chief Deputy Coroner John Hanovick, who pronounced the young man dead about 6 p.m. when trench rescue specialists recovered the body — four hours after the accident.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating to determine what happened.
Casher was part of a four-man crew with a Hookstown-based company — A Rooter Man — that was relocating sewer lines at the personal care home complex, said Penn Township Patrolman Jack Ripper.
The employees were done digging the trench and were getting ready to leave the site shortly before 2 p.m. when Casher apparently spotted a shovel that the crew inadvertently forgot.
He decided to go back in and get it, despite his co-workers’ suggestion to let it be.
Suddenly, the dirt collapsed in on Casher.
“(The workers) jumped in and tried to get him uncovered,” said Ripper, who was the first emergency responder at the scene.
“I got there and they were still in the hole trying to get him out,” the officer said. “I told them to get out, for their own safety.”
The other workers had managed to clear away enough soil to expose Casher’s head and chest but could not get him out of the heavy, wet soil.
Members of the Southern Butler County Technical Rescue Team soon descended upon the site. The team specializes in trench rescue.
Later, similar rescue teams from Beaver and Mercer counties arrived.
They inserted 4-foot-by-4-foot wooden boards to shore up the walls and wedged hydraulic jacks between the boards.
Then rescue workers were able to eventually pulled him out.
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Unshored Trench Claims Life of Pennsylvania Plumber
Despite warning from boss and co-workers, Rooter-Man employee went back to retrieve shovel left in hole
An “unprotected” trench claimed the life of a Rooter-Man employee last month when he went back to pick up a shovel. OSHA said the 10- or 11-foot trench had no shoring or benching with no metal inside.
Jacob Casher was part of a four-man crew relocating sewer lines at a nursing home in Butler, Pennsylvania, when the accident occurred.
Employees of the locally owned plumbing and drain cleaning company, which does not have a history of OSHA violations, were preparing to leave the site when Casher spotted a shovel left in the trench. Despite warnings from his boss and co-workers, Casher decided to go back when the walls collapsed on him.
Workers managed to clear away enough dirt to expose Casher’s head and chest but could not get him out of the heavy, wet soil, according to the Butler Eagle.
It took rescue workers several hours to recover the body.
Casher, a 2013 Clearfield High School high honors graduate, earned a welding degree from Penn Tech and was working for his uncle Jim English at Rooter-Man Plumbing of Hookstown, Pennsylvania, at the time of the accident.
The victim enjoyed hunting and reading, but mostly loved to fish. He was 21.
Excavation hazards
Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. OSHA defines an excavation as any man-made cut, cavity, trench or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet.Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are more likely than other excavation-related accidents to result in worker fatalities. Other potential hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres and incidents involving mobile equipment. Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.
OSHA standards require trenches 5 feet deep or greater to have a protective system in place, unless the excavation is made entirely in stable rock. Trenches 20 feet deep or greater require that the protective system be designed by a registered professional engineer or be based on tabulated data prepared and/or approved by a registered professional engineer.
Protective systems
There are different types of protective systems. Sloping involves cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation. Shoring requires installing aluminum hydraulic or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins. Shielding protects workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins. Designing a protective system can be complex because you must consider many factors: soil classification, depth of cut, water content of soil, changes due to weather or climate, surcharge loads (e.g., spoil, other materials to be used in the trench) and other operations in the vicinity.
Competent person
OSHA standards require that trenches be inspected daily and as conditions change by a competent person prior to worker entry to ensure elimination of excavation hazards. A competent person is an individual who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards or working conditions that are hazardous, unsanitary or dangerous to employees, and who is authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate or control these hazards and conditions.
Access and egress
OSHA requires safe access and egress to all excavations, including ladders, steps, ramps or other safe means of exit for employees working in trench excavations 4 feet or deeper. These devices must be located within 25 feet of all workers.
General trenching and excavation rules
- Keep heavy equipment away from trench edges
- Keep surcharge loads at least 2 feet from trench edges
- Know where underground utilities are located
- Test for low oxygen, hazardous fumes and toxic gases
- Inspect trenches at the start of each shift
- Inspect trenches following a rainstorm
- Do not work under raised loads
For more information, visit OSHA’s Trenching and Excavation Web page.
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Obituary for Jacob James Casher
Jacob James Casher, 21, of Clearfield died on Monday, September 28, 2015.He was born on September 2, 1994 in Clearfield, a son of the Ted Casher of Clearfield and Tonya English-Bloom of Woodland.
Jacob was a 2013 Clearfield High School high honors graduate. He then attended Penn Tech and graduated with a degree in welding. Currently, he was working for his Uncle Jim at Rooterman Plumbing.
He was Christian by faith. He enjoyed hunting and reading, but he mostly loved to fish. He relished time spent with his family, friends and girlfriend Erica Cowder.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by two sisters, Kearston Casher of Woodland and Ivy Mae Casher of Clearfield; a nephew, Zayden Martin; paternal grandparents, William 'Buck' and wife Carol Casher of Clearfield; maternal grandparents, James English, Jr. and Cindy Stephens of Woodland; maternal great grandfather, James English, Sr. of Woodland; these aunts and uncles as well as their spouses; Mag Viceroy, Charlene Schultz, Billzy Casher, Jason Casher, Jeremy Casher, James English III and Tony English.
Funeral services will be held at the Kevin A Beardsley Funeral Home, Clearfield on Saturday at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow in the Bradford Cemetery, Woodland.
Friends will be received at the funeral home on Friday from 4-8 PM and Saturday from 10-11 am.
The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to charity of one's choice.