PITTSBURGH — The owner of a plumbing franchise was sentenced in federal court to 2 years of probation, in connection with a 2015 trench collapse incident in Butler County that killed a 21-year-old man.

Wayne A. George, in business as A Rooter Man of Pittsburgh of Hookstown, Beaver County, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of willful violation of an OSHA regulation causing the death of an employee.

U.S. Judge Cynthia Eddy handed down the sentence, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Scott Brady.

George employed an individual who died as a result of a willful violation of standards which require employers to take protective measures against cave-ins, according to the release.

On Sept. 28, 2015, Jacob Casher of Clearfield, Pa., died in a trench collapse at a work site behind the Shelbourne Personal Care facility on Dinnerbell Road in Penn Township.

The four-man crew was relocating sewer lines for the personal care home. They were ready to leave for the day at 2 p.m., when Casher went back into the 11-foot deep trench to retrieve a shovel left behind, according to police.

Following an investigation, OSHA last year cited the company with two willful and seven serious violations. It was fined $174,000.