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 Oct. 4 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 Oct. 4.