Fatality
Massachusetts Contractor Faces $4.6M Fine After Fatal Trench Collapse
U.S. Labor Dept. cited Revoli Construction with 7 willful violations, 33 repeat violations and 17 serious violations after fatal cave-in
Massachusetts contractor willfully and repeatedly exposed workers to safety hazards, according to the US Dept. of Labor Occupational Safety and health Administration .
A Massachusetts contractor willfully and repeatedly exposed workers to safety hazards, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, which proposed $4.6 million in penalties on April 1, about six months after a worker died in a fatal trench collapse on Cape Cod.
Revoli Construction Co., Franklin, was cited for a rash of egregious safety violations, according to a department statement. The Nov. 18, 2025, accident resulted in the death of 61-year-old employee Miguel Reis. Another employee was seriously injured at the Yarmouth, Mass., worksite.
Revoli could not be reached for comment.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation into the incident found that workers from Revoli were removing sandy soil and installing steel plates outside of a trench when backfilled sand collapsed and trapped two workers inside the trench.
Revoli was cited for seven willful citations, 33 repeat violations and 17 serious violations, including for failing to provide workers with a safe way to exit the trench, lack of adequate cave-in protection and having unsupported underground utilities. The citations also include maintaining spoil piles within 2 ft of an excavation, neglecting to install a shoring system per the design and using a damaged protective system.
The agency also said that the firm exposed employees to numerous electrical and fall hazards.
Revoli has 15 business days to request an informal OSHA conference or contest the findings before an independent federal commission.
“This cave-in is a solemn reminder of the dangers construction workers face when basic safety procedures and safe engineering solutions are ignored,” U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “We will continue holding employers accountable and providing resources dedicated to hazard training and required engineering controls to put a stop to these preventable tragedies.”
