Kent contractor fined over $400k for safety violations leading to deadly trench collapse

KENT, Wash. - A Kent-based contractor faces fines totaling $437,581 for safety violations that led to the death of a construction worker in Renton last September.

36-year-old Surjit Gill was killed on Sept. 8, 2022, when the dirt walls of the trench he was working in collapsed and buried him.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) cited AAA Contractors Inc. for three willful and one serious violation in connection with the incident, along with several general violations. 

L&I inspectors determined that Gill was working in a trench 18-20 feet deep at the time of the collapse. The investigation noted the trench had not been inspected for safety before Gill entered. There were also rules that were ignored in addition to insufficient safety measures.

"It's really tragic because the extra shoring that was needed, the extra trench box, the temporary walls and braces that were needed were right there on the job site," said Matt Ross, the public affairs manager with L&I.

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Gill's death was one of 35 trenching collapse deaths nationally in 2022, more than double the number of trenching collapse deaths compared to 2021.

In hopes of preventing trenching deaths in the future, L&I joined a national enforcement program in December 2022

"Anytime [inspectors] see a trench that is deeper than 4 feet, they're stopping and conducting an inspection to make sure that on that job site, in that moment, all of those safety precautions have been met," said Ross

L&I has named AAA Contractors Inc. as a "severe violator," but it can still operate, just with more inspections than other businesses in Washington.

AAA Contractors Inc. has appealed these citations and would not comment to Fox 13.