Independent Contractor Dies in Sewer Line Excavation Engulfment -- Alaska

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Alaska Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Project (Alaska FACE) ; Alaska. Division of Public Health. Section of Epidemiology. Occupational Injury Prevention Program
• Description:
  On April 12, 1993, a 34-year-old, male independent contractor (victim) was killed as a result of traumatic head and neck injuries during a sewer line excavation cave-in. The victim was repairing a sewer line at a private residence and had excavated a 12-foot deep, 15-foot-long trench with 90-degree sidewalls to access the existing sewer line. The victim then called another contracting service to remove ground water/sewage that had accumulated in the trench. After this operation was completed, the victim entered the unshored trench via a ladder for another inspection. At this time the walls of the trench collapsed, and concrete slabs (from a sidewalk leading to the private residence) fell into the trench. These slabs struck the victim on the head and neck and caused him to fall from the ladder. He was subsequently buried by the incoming soil from the trench walls. Rescuers responded to the scene but could not locate the victim. Because of the elapsed time and the high probability that the victim was dead, a decision was made to not further endanger the lives of EMS and Fire Department personnel. The trench walls were widened and sloped to safer angles. The body of the victim was recovered approximately two and one-half hours after the cave-in. Based on the findings of the epidemiologic investigation, to prevent similar occurrences: 1. independent contractors should be aware of the potential dangers of trenching or other excavation operations and be knowledgeable about proper techniques of sloping and shoring. 2. independent contractors should be aware of the increased potential for excavation collapse due to adverse environmental factors, such as elevated levels of ground water. 3. independent contractors should be knowledgeable about job safety and always conduct a general hazard assessment prior to beginning any job or work task. 4. emergency medical services and fire rescue personnel should be knowledgeable about proper rescue techniques involving excavation sites and ensure that adequate shoring equipment is on hand at all times.
• Content Notes:
  Publication Date provided by FACE program
  
  not printed on the report.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety Safety Management Sewage Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Construction-industry Construction-workers Injuries Injury-prevention Ladders Occupational-accidents Occupational-hazards OSHA Region 10 Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-practices Sewage-industry Training Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-areas Work-environment Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Confined Space ; Construction
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE93AK011
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Alaska ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026877
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2012-112933
• 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 93AK011, 1993 Oct ; :1-5
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1991/09/30
• End Date:
  2006/08/31
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:569fcd3291f0aca4c0b8fff930896c1bcc098913e1a5e665c4e8668f4ae3ee72cdf4aaa4eb2ab18349dcfc90996369ce94f06ce0347bd0e2fd220ae5e1bf99ac
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/169127/cdc_169127_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 21.64 KB ]