Vancouver-based construction company Rotschy Inc. is facing a more than $170,000 fine for a June incident where an employee was crushed by an excavator bucket on a job site.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced the fine Wednesday.

The incident took place on June 3 at a Woodland, Washington, construction project. An employee working in a trench was directing an excavator operator above him when the 3,000-pound bucket fell off the machinery’s arm, crushing the lower half of his body. The worker survived but was hospitalized for more than a month.

A missing safety device caused the bucket to release from the excavator, according to labor investigators.

“The operator attempted to lift the bucket off the worker using the hydraulic arm of the excavator when the bucket slipped, crushing the worker a second time,” an L&I press release states.

According to the release, the excavator in question, as well as a second at the jobsite, were missing a safety latch that prevents the bucket from falling off.

Rotschy plans to appeal portions of L&I’s findings, according to Doug Hiivala, the company’s director of occupational health and communications.

“We take the recent inspection seriously and follow a rigorous compliance process to review and address issues,” Hiivala said in a written statement. “Rotschy is taking meaningful steps to strengthen our safety practices this year, including increasing our safety team and daily jobsite monitoring process.”

In the safety agency’s description of the incident, both the site superintendent and site supervisor told an L&I inspector they knew the excavator safety latches were missing. It went on to say that when Rotschy checked its other excavators, 13 did not have the required safety devices.

“These actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for the rules designed to keep workers safe,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, in the L&I release. “This young man’s life will be forever impacted by this incident that was entirely preventable.”

The December fine, as well as two other smaller infractions at the Woodland excavation site, have landed Rotschy in the labor agency’s “severe violator enforcement program.” Being on the violator list means L&I can require the company to notify the safety agency before they begin working on projects. Agency staff can also visit job sites without notice, according to a spokesperson.

The Woodland incident was not the first time Rotschy has been fined for safety violations. The highest profile includes a 2023 accident that cost a 16-year-old employee from Battle Ground both his legs after they were caught in a walk-behind trenching machine.

Since these accidents, Rotschy’s operations have been scrutinized by regulators, union workers and employers, such as the Port of Longview. In early 2025, Rotschy won a $44.6 million contract to expand a rail terminal at the port by offering the lowest bid on the job. Since then, the port has conducted regular safety audits of the project, and it has progressed mostly without incident.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/04/rotschy-worker-accident-crushed-excavator-washington-construction/