Trench Safety - Archives

Headlines of Recent Excavation Accidents

"OSHA Proposes $210,000 in Penalties Following Trenching Fatality "

OSHA Regional News (Birmingham, AL )

February 22, 2006

Summary: The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued citations against a utility contractor and proposed penalties totaling $210,000, following the investigation of a fatal accident last August at a Clay, Ala., construction site. OSHA began an inspection at the Steeple Chase subdivision after being notified that an worker was trapped in a collapsed trench. Rescue attempts failed. Agency investigators determined that employees had been working in an 18-foot-deep trench with excavated soil piled 10 feet high at the edge of the trench walls. The company received four willful citations, with proposed penalties of $196,000, for allowing workers to ride on an excavator bucket and then jump into trenches; failing to provide employees with adequate means to enter and exit trenches; placing excavated materials within two feet of trench walls; inadequately shoring and sloping trench walls, and failing to conduct daily inspections and remove employees from the site when hazardous conditions were observed. OSHA also issued four serious citations, with proposed penalties of $14,000, for allowing employees to work under suspended loads of sewer pipes and for failing to train employees and provide them with hard hats, drinking water and bathroom facilities.
Comment: A willful citation is issued when an employer has shown an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. "When an employer chooses speed and not safety, tragedy follows," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's Birmingham area director. "Safe work practices would have prevented this accident."

"Man killed in Trench Collapse "

WLS TV/DT (Chicago, IL )

June 7, 2005

Summary: A 74 year old man was killed, and his son was hospitalized following a trench cave-in near a Wheaton, IL High School. Both men worked for a company that has had many safety violations since 1997, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA says that it has noted ten safety violations by the company, including four violations in 1997, two violations in1999, and four violations in 2002. Each of those times there was at least one violation for not having cave-in protection at trench locations. The victim was the foreman of a five-man crew that included two of his sons. They were digging a 12-ft. deep trench at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School. The trench gave way, and the victim and his son were buried beneath a wall of asphalt, rock and dirt. His son survived. OSHA investigators want to know if the crew was using a trench box, and if so, why it was outside the trench at the time of the accident. Experts say if the box was removed, other safety precautions should have been in place.
Comment: The tragic irony of this and many similar accidents is that a protective trench box that could have saved this man's life was on site but apparently not in use. The age of the victim and other details of this article indicate a very experienced and skilled worker. Perhaps the confidence that accompanies many years of experience make some workers too comfortable in dangerous conditions. The multiple OSHA safety violations clearly show that this was not the first time these men worked in life-threatening conditions in a trench. They had been warned repeatedly and fined. Although they were able to work in unsafe conditions previously without harm their failure to heed the warnings in this case proved a fatal mistake.

"Crush of dirt led to death in ditch"

St. Petersburg Times (Tampa Bay, FL)

May 14, 2005

Summary: A plumber killed in a trench accident died from blunt trauma caused by the heavy, fast-moving wall of dirt that collapsed on him, the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's Office said Friday. The force broke the worker's ribs and fractured his pelvis, setting the stage for the cardiac arrest he suffered as workers tried to free him from the 15-foot-deep trench behind a powerboat dealership. The plumbing sub contractor for whom the victim worked had been installing sewer lines this week at the site. The medical examiner's director of investigations, said cardiac arrest could have been brought on by various factors, including internal hemorrhaging and shock. Authorities at the scene said there was little or no sign the trench had been shored up, as required by federal law. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
The man's family were devastated by the death and attributed it to "other people's negligence." "This was preventable," said the man's stepdaughter. "What we're just not understanding is how was this man placed in such a dangerous situation?" The victim, who lived in St. Petersburg, had worked for the plumbing sub for about a year. "He wanted to go to every end to make them happy," his stepdaughter said. She said the family did not care to discuss possible legal action. "We've lost our father. Our mother has lost her soul mate. We can only pray that she is going to be able to survive this."
Comment: The force of moving earth in a trench collapse can be huge and fatal. This story illustrates the severe consequences of a preventable accident not only upon the worker who lost his life but also upon family members and friends. The company the man worked for had been cited in 2001 by OSHA for other construction safety violations.

"Company Fined in Trench Collapse"

Eastside Journal (Bellevue, WA)

October 24, 2000

Summary: The State of Washington has fined a golf course construction company from Madison, WI for violations discovered after a foreman died while trying to rescue his son, who was working in a trench when it caved in. A 53-year-old construction foreman from Santa Ana, CA., jumped into a trench meant for a drainage pipe after his 21-year-old son became trapped. The elder man died of crushing injuries when the walls of the 17-foot deep trench further collapsed on top of him. The younger man spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from two broken legs. The company was fined $26,300 after a five-month investigation. Citations against the company include not taking adequate measures to prevent cave-ins; not ensuring a safe means of escape or rescue in case of collapse; not enforcing that hard hats were worn during trench work; not protecting workers from materials falling into the trench; and not conducting daily inspections on the site for violations. Further citations included not tailoring its accident prevention program to trenching, inadequate safety training and not ensuring that all crew leaders and supervisors had a valid first aid certificate.
Comment: There can be few more poignant tragedies than a father being killed trying to rescue his son. In addition to inadequate safety measures at the construction site, a lack of adequate safety training is cited by the State. Though not mentioned in this article, state fines would be in addition to OSHA fines. OSHA typically levies much steeper fines for trench safety violations than the ones levied by the state in this case.

"OSHA Safety Blitz: Agency Begins Surprise Inspections; Deaths Decline"

Fort Worth Star Telegram (TX)

October 4, 2000

Summary: A 30-year-old Fort Worth man was working in a 20-foot-deep trench in November when an unsupported portion caved in. It took Irving rescuers four hours to unearth his body. A month later, a 44-year old worker was crushed to death in a collapsed trench in Lewisville. The man was buried only to his waist, but his blood circulation was cut off by the earth pressure on the lower half of his body. They were among 35 workers killed while working on North Texas construction sites in 1999 and among 136 killed as the region's building boom accelerated over the past five years.; Concerned that construction has created a death toll on par with a major airline disaster, OSHA temporarily transferred agents from Austin, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and Albuquerque to assist in an inspection "blitz." During the first seven months of the 2000 blitz, inspectors issued 627 citations, compared with 231 for all of 1999. Since the inspections were stepped up the average death rate dropped about 30 percent. "On months that we blitzed, we averaged one construction death per month, " the Dallas area OSHA director said. "On months we haven't blitzed we averaged five."
Comment: The dramatic increase in construction starts over the past few years has created a worker shortage in many areas of the US. Subcontractors are filling positions with low-skill workers, many from a growing immigrant population. They often do not speak English and are vulnerable to employer demands and unsafe working conditions. In addition, fast track schedules may cause supervisors to take dangerous shortcuts. All of this has led to a dramatic increase in construction injuries and deaths. The OSHA blitz program in Dallas proves that enforcement can save lives. But this is only a temporary fix. Excavation contractors play the most important role. They must educate themselves and their workers regarding safe work practices. By taking the time to follow OSHA guidelines, construction supervisors place the lives and health of their workers above the pressures imposed by short-term monetary gains.

"OSHA Steps Up Efforts Excavation Accidents Spur Education, Enforcement"

Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)

May 15, 2000

Summary: Over the past year there have been five serious trench-digging accidents in the two Colorado counties of Jefferson and Douglas. Recently released OSHA statistics show that the majority of excavation sites inspected in the Denver area from Jan 1, 1997, to Dec 31, 1999, had safety violations that put workers at risk. "These accidents are 100 percent preventable," states the OSHA Englewood area director. "There are industry practices and OSHA regulations. If our regulations are complied with none of this would happen." In the six-state Rocky Mountain region, 18 trenching accidents have resulted in fatalities in the past five years. Starting this month, OSHA will release information to construction companies through local building departments followed by increased inspections and enforcement. They are hoping to reach companies with ten or fewer employees. In 1998 a Denver area contractor was fined $126,000 after an employee was partially buried by a cave-in. Another was fined $21,150 for failing to provide adequate cave-in protection and failure to pump water from a trench after two workers were trapped in a cave-in in 1999.
Comment: This article indicates how frequently the OSHA excavation regulations are violated in just one small area of one state. Unfortunately, the statistics are typical throughout the country. By stepping up its education and enforcement programs, OSHA hopes to reduce the frequency of tragic and unnecessary accidents in the trenches.

"Oakland Cave-in Kills Worker; Fellow Laborer Decapitates Body in Rescue Attempt"

The Detroit News (MI)

April 30, 1999

Summary: A 42-year-old Detroit construction worker was trapped when a 2-foot-wide and 7-foot-deep trench caved in on him while he was installing a water line for a home under construction. A co-worker tried to uncover the buried man with a backhoe, and decapitated him in the process. A preliminary autopsy by the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office determined that the man died from the cave-in and not the rescue effort. The distraught coworker was taken to the hospital.
Comment: Trench cave-ins are sudden and often fatal. The tragedy of this incident is compounded by the horrific outcome of the co-worker's rescue attempt. This is not the first time this type of incident has happed. Trapped workers have been seriously injured and killed with hand tools used by well meaning co-workers desperately trying to help. Rescue is a delicate and slow operation, requiring knowledge of the behavior of unstable soil. Many fire safety rescue teams receive special training and practice in trench rescue procedures.

"Trench Cave-in didn't Crush Worker's Spirit"

The Courier Journal (Louisville, KY)

March 20, 1999

Summary: A man was connecting plastic sewer pipe in the bottom of an 8-foot deep trench, which was cut into an asphalt drive outside a store on a local Louisville Highway. There were no protective measures in place. The victim reports that "Suddenly, I didn't know where I was. I wasn't able to breath. I couldn't see anything." He had been struck by a wave of dirt as the walls of the narrow trench collapsed on him and a coworker. " You feel like you are being crushed," the worker said. "They had dug me out to my waist, but there was still quite a bit of force on my stomach." Once it was clear that the victim was conscious and breathing, the specialized rescue team began shoring up the unstable soil and making sure that the surrounding asphalt could not slide into the trench on top of the trapped worker. It took firemen five hours to shore the trench, and carefully lift the worker out by the boom of a fire truck. Complicating the rescue, the worker's frustrated boss jumped into the trench to dig his friend out while the rescue team was still trying to shore up the soil. Police arrested him, and he was arraigned in district court on charges of wanton endangerment and disorderly conduct. The victim felt that the police were over zealous in arresting his boss, who refused to stop his efforts and leave the rescue to the specialists. The fire chief stated, "In trench rescues, you often get this 'I could have dug myself out' mentality." "I'm gonna be back to work," said the defiant worker from his hospital bed. "I knew this could happen. I'm not scared to go back down there."
Comment: Many fire safety rescue teams receive special trench rescue training. It is a delicate and slow operation necessary to prevent further injury to the victim or to his rescuers. Many would-be rescuers have precipitated second and third stage trench cave-ins and have become victims themselves. Workers are often too willing to enter dangerous situations created by their employers. In this case, the victim's bravado is part of the problem contributing to the unsafe workplace. One wonders if this worker or his employer learned anything at all from the experience.

"Worker in Cave-in During Rescue Try"

The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)

March 2, 1999

Summary: A utilities worker was fatally injured in Edmonds during a rescue from a rain-soaked trench that had collapsed around him. The 28-year-old man was standing in 12 ft deep trench in a neighborhood road, repairing a leaky junction box. Recent storms had soaked the ground. Snohomish county medical examiner said that the victim was fatally injured while being extricated from the trench. A 4-foot deep trench box sat above the trench. In October of 1997, the State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) cited the same utilities contractor for a "serious violation" - meaning a violation likely to cause serious injury or death. L&I found that workers in a 7-foot deep trench were not protected by an adequate system against a potential cave-in. An L&I trench rescue specialist said that he had stopped three construction crews from working in unprotected trenches in the last year alone in Edmonds. "They know better," he said. "It's frustrating."
Comment: There were many OSHA violations that contributed to this accident. The most flagrant, is allowing a worker in a 12-foot trench without a protection system in place. Water in soil weakens it and increases the chance of a cave-in. The increased lateral soil pressure exerted on the trapped worker undoubtedly contributed to a difficult rescue. The rescuers may have been careless or ignorant of proper rescue procedures, since the worker was killed during the extraction. The presence of a trench box (trench shield) on the site indicates that the contractor was aware of cave-in danger, but disregarded it. Trench shields are one of three methods used to protect workers from trench cave-ins. The single 4-foot box would have been inadequate in the 12-ft. deep trench, however trench boxes can be stacked vertically to protect workers in a deep trench. The repeated violations by this contractor, and the inspector's frustration indicate how common trench safety violations are.

"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.

"OSHA: Trench Gave No Protection"

The Atlanta Journal & The Atlanta Constitution

July 31, 1998

Summary: Federal Inspectors found evidence of serious safety violations by a small Stockbridge firm that employed a worker who was crushed to death by tons of dirt in a cave-in while laying a drainage line. The trench was three feet wide and ran 12 to 22 feet deep along a 200-foot length, and was cut through a mixture of clay and granular soil. An OSHA inspector stated "The weather conditions in this part of Georgia right now are ripe for this type of accident to occur - a long dry spell and hot temperatures, followed by rain." Water had accumulated in the bottom of the trench. There was no evidence that the company had sloped the sides of the trench or shored it in any way. The inspector said that the site was "...the second most dangerous trench I've seen in my career, and I've been with OSHA for 31 years"
Comment: OSHA regulations state that workers in trenches must be protected by an approved protection system - sloping, shoring or shielding - for any trench deeper than four feet. Trenches exceeding twenty-foot depths must employ a shoring system designed by a registered professional engineer. Furthermore, OSHA does not permit workers in a trench with standing water. At the time of the article, OSHA was still investigating the case, and fines had not been levied against the contractor. A single serious violation can result in fines of up to $7,000. If the accident is determined to be the result of willful indifference and negligence, the fine could be as high as $70,000.

"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 cited 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 Luna's 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.

"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.
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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