Omaha, Neb. ? An Omaha trash hauler faces $125,000 in federal fines in connection with the death of an employee last fall.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Deffenbaugh Industries, alleging two willful violations.

Omaha police said that on Nov. 14 Bernard Lawrence was unloading a large trash bin into a garbage truck when a malfunction occurred, pinning him between the bin and the truck.

Lawrence, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Deffenbaugh Industries Inc. failed to protect its employees from known hazards, which contributed to the death of an employee engaged in refuse collection,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.

OSHA said Deffenbaugh failed to maintain safety latches on the truck and on the container lifting hooks.

Deffenbaugh has 15 working days to comply, respond or otherwise appeal the proposed punishment.