Meridian firm fined $77,000 over trench collapse that killed two workers

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal safety authorities have fined a southwest Idaho company $77,000 following the deaths of two workers in a trench collapse in Boise. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday issued the fines to Meridian-based Hard Rock Construction. Thirty-six-year-old Bert Smith and 26-year-old Ernesto Saucedo died when the trench collapsed on May 3 while they worked to install a sewer line. Federal officials say the company failed to put in safety measures and didn’t instruct the employees on methods to eliminate cave-in hazards. The company declined to comment on Tuesday.