Construction Laborer Died in a Trench Wall Collapse [2018]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE) ; Michigan State University. Department of Medicine. Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Description:
  In winter 2015 a Hispanic male pipe layer in his 40s died when the south wall of a 25-foot long trench collapsed. The construction site had a high water table. The trench was part of a 175-foot long trench. The trench in the incident area was approximately 7 feet wide at its top, 6½ feet deep, and 4 feet wide at its base. An 18-inch bench was cut approximately 18 inches below the top of the trench and 5 feet from the base. The trench had a 1½-foot seam of wet sand at its base, and then another 5 feet of wet clay. A sand/clay ramp located on the east side of the trench provided access. The excavator operator noticed moisture in the trench and asked the decedent if he would like to utilize the trench box on site
  
  the decedent declined. The decedent and his coworker were preparing to install drain tile pipe when the competent person who had just arrived at the excavation after performing other site work, noticed the impending wall collapse. He yelled to the two workers to get out of the trench. Both ran toward the ramp. One worker was able to exit safely. The decedent was struck by the falling earth. The clay forced a shovel to strike his right side and pinned him into the opposite side of the excavation burying him to his waist. His coworkers entered the trench and manually dug him out. They carried him out of the trench and called for emergency response. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital where he was declared dead in the emergency room. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: 1. Inadequate tench support systems (shoring, benching, sloping). 2. A qualified person did not inspect the trench prior to entry. 3. Inadequate employee training in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and required safe work practices (insufficient understanding of hazards). RECOMMENDATIONS: MIFACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1. Ensure that employees working in excavations are protected from cave-in by an appropriate protective system, such as trench boxes, shields, benching and/or appropriate sloping of trench sides designed in accordance with MIOSHA Construction Safety Standard, Part 9, Excavation, Trenching, and Shoring. To ensure this is done correctly, a qualified person must inspect and approve the excavation, adjacent areas, and supporting systems on an ongoing basis. 2. Ensure that all employees are trained to recognize and avoid hazardous work conditions. Employers should also ensure that the training in recognizing and avoiding hazards is coupled with employer assessment that workers are competent in the recognition of hazards and safe work practices. In addition, a job safety analysis (JSA) should be completed prior to working so that the hazards could be recognized. 3. Develop a trench emergency action plan that describes rescue and medical duties and ensure that all employees are knowledgeable of those procedures.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Disaster Planning Emergencies Hazardous Substances Mortality Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Race Factors Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident Analysis Accident Potential Accident Prevention Emergency Egress Emergency Preparedness Excavation Equipment Excavations Fatalities Ground Control Ground Stability Hazard Recognition Injuries Injury Prevention Occupational Hazards OSHA Region 5 Protective Equipment Protective Measures Racial Factors Recommendations Safety Culture Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Monitoring Safety Personnel Safety Practices Training Traumatic Injuries Trenches Trenching Work Analysis Work Performance Workplace Monitoring Work Practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction ; Hispanic - Construction ; Foreign Born Workers ; Oil and Gas Extraction ; Trenching
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE15MI117
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055302
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100830
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 15MI117, 2018 Oct ; :1-11
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5e05fa37c626a4a41e9b809ddc26df735f56070465b3b9ecab265756ebe7ec5391d6fb2df94f1705f6d41e4c752c015a0ba97d5b0dca5faf5cceb3e45a7f3e6b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164950/cdc_164950_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 997.66 KB ]