M.E. COLLINS CONTRACTING CO., INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, M.E. COLLINS CONTRACTING CO., INC. — a highway, street, and bridge construction facility located at 8118 PARK VIEW BLVD, LA VISTA, NE 68128 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 3 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $22,816.00. The inspection case was opened on 2017-04-17.

DOL records document workplace safety violations warranting formal citation under the OSH Act. While classified at the standard enforcement level, all OSHA citations require corrective action and may indicate areas where workplace safety programs should be strengthened.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 2.8 per 100 full-time workers — 4% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 9.6 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $22,816.00 is more than 6.3× the national average of $3,609.14 for facilities in the Construction sector (NAICS 237310). This sector encompasses 532,749 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,922.8M.

State Context: Within NE, this facility's penalty places it at the 98th percentile among 12,745 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $4,129.57.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 3 citations spanning 3 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 2 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 1 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning August 8, 2017 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 11, 2017. Of the 3 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $22,816.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $7,605.33 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for M.E. Collins Contracting Co., Inc. reveals a high-gravity failure to implement fundamental life-safety measures within trenching and excavation operations. The dual Serious citations under 1926.651(c)(2) and 1926.652(a)(1) underscore a critical absence of both safe egress and structural cave-in protection. In practical terms, these violations suggest that workers were exposed to the "engulfment" hazard—the most lethal risk in the highway and bridge construction sector (NAICS 237310). The maximum gravity rating of 10 for these citations indicates that OSHA inspectors identified an immediate probability of death or permanent disability, as the lack of shoring or shielding in unstable soil provides zero margin for error during a collapse. While the total penalty of $22,816 may appear modest relative to corporate revenue, the assessment of $11,408 per individual trenching violation represents the high end of the statutory maximum for Serious classifications during this period. This aggressive penalty structure signifies that the non-compliance was not merely a clerical oversight but a systemic operational failure to provide a "competent person" capable of identifying and mitigating soil hazards. The inclusion of a 1910.1200 hazard communication violation, though carrying no monetary penalty, points to broader administrative gaps in safety training. Collectively, these findings portray a facility where production speed likely superseded the rigorous engineering controls required for deep-earth excavations.