With the recent spike of trench fatalities, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a nationwide enhanced enforcement of the required safety measures. They found a clear linkage between more workers dying and more employers disregarding safety requirements, so they will now be putting extra emphasis on penalties for their negligence. OSHA will be appearing randomly at work sites to evaluate safety measures and will be prosecuting those responsible with criminal or federal charges for their actions, or lack thereof, that put their employees’ lives at risk.