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Headlines of Recent Trench Accidents
"OSHA charges firm after worker's death"
The News Journal,
Wilmington, Del.
September 28, 2002
| Summary: |
A federal citation has been issued against Marvel Contracting Inc. of Felton, Delaware after an investigation of an April
accident that killed William Harris II, 22, of Felton. The citation from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational
Safety and Health Administration on Thursday could cost the company $49,500 in penalties, according to Lacy Sutton, area director
of the OSHA Wilmington office. Harris was a pipe layer employed by Marvel, who on April 5 was installing storm-drain piping
at the Kinsale Glen Development when a trench caved in, killing him. The Labor Department charges Marvel with failing
to take appropriate action to protect workers in the trench, such as shoring up or properly sloping excavation walls. The
company also was charged with failing to remove damaged equipment, allowing employees to operate a damaged excavator, failing
to keep materials or equipment at least 2 feet from the excavation, failing to conduct daily inspections for hazardous
conditions and failing to provide job-specific safety and health instructions to employees. The company has 15 working days
to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. |
"Two firms facing fines in trench death"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
October
7, 1998
| Summary: |
OSHA cited two Stockbridge construction firms and proposed fines totaling $244,000 for safety violations in
a trench cave-in that killed a 25 year old worker. The employee was buried beneath tons of dirt made unstable by rain
before the accident. OSHA found evidence that neither company had taken proper precautions to prevent the July 29 cave-in
of a 19-ft deep drainage trench at a subdivision. OSHA's Atlanta Regional Director stated "Both employers were aware
of the highly hazardous nature of trench work and knew this particular trench was unsafe but failed to take any action to
protect workers whose lives were at risk. There is no excuse for their failure to follow trenching guidelines." Both
firms were cited for willful failure to provide workers a protection system. The piping subcontractor faces additional
penalties of $84,000 for failure to train workers on the hazards of excavations and failure to provide a means of entering
and leaving the trench. |
| Comment: |
Changing conditions such as rain can very quickly destabilize the walls of an open excavation. Proper training alerts
workers to some of the signs of an imminent cave-in. Unfortunately for this worker, even if he had some warning, there
was apparently no means of escape, such as a ramp or ladder. |
"Officials Probe Worker's Death in Excavation Cave-in"
Houston Chronicle
March
23, 1998
| Summary: |
Local and federal officials are investigating the death of a 43 year old construction worker buried alive
when the 18-foot deep trench in which he was working collapsed. The excavation was part of a sewer sanitation
rehabilitation project just east of downtown Houston. Although a steel trench box was in place in the excavation, the
worker was in the trench but outside of the trench box at the time of the cave-in. Co-workers on the street scrambled
into the pit and frantically dug the dirt away from the face of the man, who was buried about six minutes. When firefighters
arrived, they found the man conscious and were able to feed an oxygen line to him. As rescue work was in progress, a
second cave-in occurred, trapping two firefighters who were trying to help. The second collapse also covered up the
victim, and he died a few minutes later.
The president of the company that employed the worker stated that this was the first fatality in the 43-year
history of the company. "We are all devastated by it," he said. "We operate extremely safely, and we pride ourselves
on that." |
| Comment: |
Trench boxes or "trench shields" are designed to shield workers from collapsing soil in the event of a cave-in.
The employee was killed because he was not in the box at the time of the collapse. Note also that the worker's death
may have been precipitated by the efforts of the rescuers. Vertical slopes exhibit three distinct phases of failure,
the first phase trapped the worker, the second one may have been encouraged by the added weight and vibrations caused by the
rescuers. Many fire-fighting crews around the country are trained in excavation rescues, which are very dangerous and
delicate operations. |
"Safety Citations Issued"
Houston Chronicle
July 19, 1997
| Summary: |
The U.S. Department of Labor cited a local construction company for 12 alleged safety violations in an accident
in which a teenager was buried alive in a trench while laying sewer pipe. The company could be fined $30,000 for the
violations found at the site where the 18 year old worker was killed. The worker was knocked off his feet by a heavy
chunk of clay before the walls of the 13-foot-deep ditch caved in on him. |
| Comment: |
When soil is cut to make a trench, the equilibrium of a structural system is disturbed. Different types of soil
can exist in alternating layers, such as sand and clay, at a bedding angle that would cause one layer to slide over the other
when the lateral support of adjacent soil is removed, such as in a trench. Vibration from traffic and construction equipment,
and changing ground water conditions could have induced a sudden slide of the cohesive soil mass over a less cohesive
soil. |
"Company Fined after Fatal Accident"
Sioux City Journal (IA)
June
20, 1997
| Summary: |
A Sioux City plumbing company has been issued citations on four items and fined $4,500 by Iowa Occupational
Safety and Health Agency in connection with a May 14 trench cave-in that killed a 22 year old man. The employee was
in an 8-foot deep trench with a backhoe working above, and the excavation was sloped deeper than 34 degrees from horizontal.
The company was fined for two "serious" category violations ($1,500 each) for not instructing each employee "in the recognition
and avoidance of unsafe conditions" and for not protecting each employee from cave-ins by an adequate protection device. The
company received a third penalty for failing to report the accident within eight hours after the death. The employer
was also cited by IOSHA for failure to have implemented a written hazard communications program, and for failure to have trained
employees regarding the use of a PVC cement being used on the site. |
| Comment: |
No protection system was in place to protect the worker from the cave-in. OSHA is serious about training
workers properly and communicating potential hazards to them. Fumes from PVC cements can be toxic. |
"Two Workers Injured In Big Dig Accident"
The Boston Globe
November
30, 1996
| Summary: |
Two laborers were injured after a 3' x 3' sheet of clay slid down and pinned the men underneath. One of the
workers suffered a fractured right leg, a bruised chest and rib injuries. The other worker suffered from minor injuries to
his lower leg. The two men had been working in trench that was 8 feet deep x 5 feet wide x 15 feet long. |
| Comment: |
Wet conditions, in addition to the lack of trench protection, contributed to this accident. Inspections are
required after rainstorms or any change in conditions that can create the possibility of a cave-in or slide. The sheet of
clay described in the article may have been part of a layered soil. |
"Teen Killed When Trench Collapses"
Atlanta Journal Constitution
September 6, 1996
| Summary: |
A Lawrenceville, GA 16 year old died when a trench collapsed and buried him under 5 ft. of dirt. The boy was trapped
under several hundred pounds of soil for about ten minutes as his father tried to dig him out with a backhoe. Nearby
residents rushed to the site and dug furiously with their hands and shovels before his head and chest were freed. Firefighters
administered CPR, but were unable to revive the boy, who later died at Gwinett Medical Center. Fire officials found
no protective systems in the trench, which was being dug to lay a new septic system.
A follow-up article dated
Sept. 7, 1996 stated that in addition to no supports, recent rains had softened the soil, increasing the possibility of a
cave-in. |
| Comment: |
Under U.S. Department of Labor regulations, trench work is considered dangerous, and no one under the age of 18 is allowed
to do it. |
"OSHA Fines Two Firms In Job Fatality"
Atlanta Journal Constitution
July
20, 1996
| Summary: |
OSHA has imposed a fine of $104,000 on a pipeline subcontractor for "serious" and "willful" violations that resulted in
the death of a Norcross, Ga. man in January of 1996. The controlling employer is also facing penalties of up to $94,000.
The victim died after being crushed by a piece of equipment dropped by a backhoe into the trench where he was working.
Eight days prior to the accident, officials had ordered a halt to the construction work. The construction supervisor
was sited twice for failing to halt the work, including a citation the day before the accident. a total of six serious
violations were cited in the accident, including failing to shore up the trench. |
| Comment: |
The tragedy of this accident is compounded by the fact that repeated warnings were ignored. OSHA has recently
stepped up its inspections and increased fines for trench safety violations. |
"Echo Park Trench Cave-In Kills Construction Worker"
Los Angeles Times
April 12, 1996
| Summary: |
A 28 year old man was killed in trench after a cave-in buried him up to his chin. He was barley breathing
when more than 40 firefighters, paramedics, and search-and-rescue team members arrived on the scene. However, the worker died
a few minutes later due to the weight of the soil inflicting a "tremendous squeezing pressure" on his body. It took firefighters
more than three hours to recover Lunas body from the trench. |
| Comment: |
The weight of soil is estimated to be between 100-114 pounds per cubic foot. A person can be killed even
if that person is not completely buried. |
"OSHA: Fatal error repeated"
Engineering News Record
February 5,
1996
| Summary: |
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed fines of $100,000 against a small Connecticut
paving contractor for alleged improper shoring techniques during a sewer line installation. They are accused of using unsafe
shoring methods similar to those used on another trench that killed a 57year old worker three weeks earlier (October 12, 1995)
on the same project.
In this October 12 accident, a worker was in a 13' deep trench that was shored with a 6' high shoring box
augmented by steel plates. A cave-in shifted these steel plates and broke an 8-inch water main. According to an OSHA spokesman,
the worker was "crushed and drowned at the same time". |
| Comment: |
Unfortunately, repeat violations of the OSHA standard are an all too common occurrence on trenching projects.
A competent person should be on-site in order to identify and eliminate existing and/or probable hazardous conditions. Furthermore,
the locations of underground utilities must be determined prior to the start of excavation. |
"Toxic Fumes Kill 3 and Injure 3 at Reynolds Plant in McCook"
Chicago Tribune
June 1, 1995
| Summary: |
This article reports that three men were killed and three others injured by toxic fumes that filled a pit they were excavating
at a metal company plant in McCook, IL. The plant manufactures sheet and plate metal components for
automobiles and aircraft. The men were excavating to lay a foundation for a new casting furnace when they were overcome at
7:45 a.m. by "unknown noxious fumes." |
| Comment: |
Some toxic gases are colorless and odorless, offering no obvious warning signs and no running time to their victims.
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"Manslaughter Charge Filed Over Death in Trench Collapse"
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 26, 1994
| Summary: |
This article reports that the Los Angeles County district attorney's office filed a manslaughter charge against a plumbing
subcontractor who allegedly failed to reinforce a 10-foot-deep trench before its walls collapsed, killing one worker and injuring
another. The charge against the independent sewer and plumbing contractor carries a maximum sentence of four years in state
prison. The 51-year old worker died seven hours after he had been buried in dirt for 30 minutes. His co-worker suffered a
broken pelvis while attempting to rescue him. The cave-in occurred along a 15-foot section of trench dug to replace a sewer
line to a warehouse. Failure to reinforce the trench walls was "a clear case of cutting corners to cut costs", stated the
district attorney. Three days prior to the accident a Los Angeles city building inspector issued a warning to the general
contractor about the lack of a protective system for workers in the trench. The GC in turn ordered the subcontractor to cut
back the trench to a safe slope. Unfortunately the subcontractor did not comply. In the wake of the accident, the state's
division of OSHA fined the subcontractor $36,085, and the general contractor, $4,450. |
| Comment: |
Although the subcontractor was warned that he was in clear violation of the state building codes and of federal law (OSHA),
he acted to save time and money rather than lives. OSHA compliance officers are instructed to make random surprise visits
to construction sites, and to issue citations which often bring heavy fines to contractors. |
"Man dies in cave-in at construction site: Heavy rains may have been a factor"
Atlanta
Constitution
July 22, 1994
| Summary: |
A 34 year old man was killed when a trench caved in at a house under construction in Atlanta. The man was helping install
a sewer line, when a dirt wall gave way, burying him under 8 ft. of clay. The Atlanta West area OSHA director stated that
recent heavy rains could have been a contributing factor. "Soil saturation levels have created conditions far more unstable
than normal." It took 30 rescue workers nearly four hours to uncover the body. One of the rescuers stated, "...we had to dig
by hand with garden tools and carry out the dirt in five-gallon buckets." |
| Comment: |
Saturated soils are extremely unstable. While, a small amount of water is necessary to give clays their cohesive strength,
too much water separates the soil particles, keeping them from binding together. This severely reduces the shear strength
of the soil, and increases the probability of a trench cave-in. |
"Man is Killed in Pit Collapse"
New York Times
June 4, 1994
| Summary: |
This article reports that a 52-year old man was killed when the seven foot deep trench he was working in collapsed, burying
him up to his chest in dirt. He was pinned between the dirt and a wooden stabilizing wall. The probable cause of death was
reported as suffocation. The worker and a companion were attempting to repair drain pipes in a parking lot. The other worker
managed to escape. "he was only buried to his knees," reported a detective. "He tried to get his friend out, but he couldn't
do it." It took seven hours for workers to clear the collapsed dirt, and stabilize the trench enough to recover the man's
body. |
| Comment: |
Note that the trench was only seven feet deep and the man was buried only to his chest. The man who escaped was buried
only to his knees. The cave-in must have happened very quickly. |
"Worker Rescued After 6 Hours Trapped in Ditch"
Washington Post
April
28, 1994
| Summary: |
This article reports that a 21-year old construction worker was rescued after being pinned in dirt to his waist for more
than six hours. He had been standing in a 40-foot-long, 10-foot deep trench to install waterproofing to the exterior of a
house when the soil caved in and trapped him "... with his knees bent against the foundation ...." It took 65 rescue workers
several hours of placing wooden planks around the worker so he could be pulled out of the hole without worsening his injuries.
During the time he was trapped, the temperature was 90 degrees; it later rained heavily on he and the rescuers. When he finally
was extracted, he needed to be rushed in critical condition to a shock trauma center in Baltimore. The rescue chief sighted
six fatalities in the previous 12 years in Howard county from very similar situations. |
| Comment: |
The man was working on a very common construction activity in home building: waterproofing a basement wall. There was
no shoring system to hold back the unstable soil. Although buried only to his waist, the man was seriously injured from the
heavy soil pressure as well as from exposure to the elements. Note the extreme care that was necessary in the rescue to avoid
trapping the rescuers. Many rescuers have been killed during further collapse of unstable trench walls while trying to dig
out a companion. |
"OSHA investigating collapsed ditch where 2 workers were injured"
Chicago Tribune
Sept. 14, 1993
| Summary: |
A Chicago man was injured when the dirt walls of a 12-foot deep, 4-foot wide ditch caved in on the man and a coworker
while they were installing a sewer pipe. OSHA officials stated that the trench was supposed to contain a metal box, called
a trench box, that is designed to keep dirt and rocks from crushing workers. A fire department official said that there were
two trench boxes sitting up the road from the ditch, and that workers told him the men were sent into the ditch to make sure
they had dug in the proper place to install the pipes. The workers told him that after they found the sewer stubs, they planned
to use the trench boxes while attaching the pipes to them. Trench boxes are required because dirt can easily collapse, especially
if the soil is granular. The dirt road these men were working on was loose and porous, making the rescue effort extremely
delicate.
Rescue workers arrived on the scene at 8:30 a.m. to find the man buried waist-deep , the dirt walls
behind him threatening to cave in again. Rescue workers from four departments slowly shoveled dirt into buckets and installed
hydraulic devices that pushed wooden boards against the walls of the ditch , holding the dirt back. It took about three hours
to extract the worker, who was unconscious by the time he was pulled from the ditch. At the time this article was written
the man remained in intensive care at a hospital, listed in fair condition with his spine fractured at the base of the neck.
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| Comment: |
It is a tragic irony that the trench boxes developed to protect the workers sat above ground, while they explored the
12 foot deep unshored trench looking for a place to put them. Note also that the soil was loose granular fill, a much weaker
type of soil than hard clay, for example. Although only buried to his waist the man was seriously injured, probably by the
impact of the heavy soil caving in on him. |
"Cave-in traps worker 4 hours"
Atlanta Constitution
Aug. 19, 1993
| Summary: |
A construction worker was trapped for four hours in a trench collapse in Lawrenceville, GA. The 28 year old worker was
trying to pull himself out of the trench when the unshored trench walls caved in about 1:45 p.m. The worker was part of a
four man crew installing water meters along a dirt road. When the trench collapsed, the man sank instantly into a waist deep
pool of mud and water. Fire officials stated that the dirt was piled 12 feet high next to the trench. Suction from the swift
current of an underground spring and a rock weighing over 100 pounds jammed against the man's foot held him prisoner for the
afternoon. A rescuer stated that the suction was so strong that "it may even pull his leg off if we pull hard" enough to get
him out of the hole. " The rock's weight was estimated at 145 pounds. "But after 1-1/2 hours it felt like 300 pounds," said
a member of the rescue crew. The trench was filling back up with water and mud about as fast as we could dig it out," stated
another rescuer. The rescue team gave the man fluids intravenously to keep him from dehydrating while they shored up the ditch
and pumped water out of the hole. The team had to dig his leg from the hole. |
| Comment: |
Apparently the trench collapse was initiated by the downward force of the worker's weight on the soil of the trench wall
as he attempted to lift himself out. Shoring the relatively stable soil of a trench wall is much easier than trying to push
back the unstable soil of a collapsing trench to extract a trapped worker. It takes approximately ten times as much force
to slide soil into a stable configuration than to hold it in a stable configuration initially. Moving the 100 pound rock from
against the man's foot required pushing back a huge mass of collapsing soil pressing against the rock - a force much greater
than the weight of the rock itself. OSHA provides clear guidelines for shoring trenches in order to prevent accidents like
the one reported in this article. |
"Laguna Beach Man Killed in Trench Cave-In"
Los Angeles Times
June
24, 1993
| Summary: |
A 50 year old community activist died after the walls of a 12-foot trench collapsed while he was trying to install electrical
wiring on his property. He was buried under six feet of earth when the sides of the unshored trench caved in. "He was conscious
and talking at one point" said a Laguna Beach fire captain. "He may have been yelling, but we could barely hear him through
the dirt. Then, there was a sound of panic and we didn't hear from him after that." A second man was buried to his waist by
the cave-in, but managed to dig himself out after firefighters threw him a shovel.
The survivor said "All day
he had been asking me, 'If this caves in, where are you gonna go?' I asked him this morning, let's get some boards to shore
this thing up and he said, 'We're almost done.' In five more minutes we would have been sitting at the table eating lunch."
It took firefighters an hour to reach the man's wrist and determine he was dead. It took them another five hours to
pull his body from the trench. |
| Comment: |
The trench had been open for several days. Soil which appears stable when first dug, is highly susceptible to drying,
wetting, vibrations, and other factors which threaten it's apparent strength. It may take days or weeks for the soil to lose
its stability and cave in. If left unsupported, eventually it will cave-in, and when it does it is extremely fast .....fractions
of a second. |
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