FACE Facts: Plumber Dies in Trench Cave-In!

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  California. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  In a recent incident, a 35-year-old plumber, John H.*(*Not the victim's real name), died when the trench that he was working in collapsed. He entered the trench to connect a sewer line. The trench was more than five feet deep, had no shoring or shields, and had not been benched or sloped. The dirt from the trench was piled on the ground next to the trench. John had started work for his employer the day before the incident. He did not have safety training, and he was not questioned about his safety knowledge before he started work. What Went Wrong? The trench was more than five feet deep. There was an increased risk of collapse that could trap a worker. The extra weight of the dirt piled on the edge of the trench helped make the trench unstable. John was not given safety training before he began work. He may not have understood the risks involved with trench work. What Should Be Done? Make sure that trenches deeper than five feet are shored, shielded, sloped, or benched before any workers enter. Make sure dirt is placed at least two feet away from trench edges. Make sure workers receive safety training and that their safety knowledge is evaluated before starting hazardous work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hazardous Substances Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Fatalities Hazard Controls Injuries Injury Prevention Plumbers Safety Practices Trenches Trenching
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  California Department of Public Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059458
• Citation:
  Richmond, CA: California Department of Public Health, 2006 Aug; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, FACE Program, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Building P, Third Floor, Richmond, CA 94804
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  FACE facts: plumber dies in trench cave-in!
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:680c218e5d4fef9b5b3e763c71be773c14f8abfdb98639194c14b9d3540ba3e98f5d3f31261711d8f5e21dec2c634eb8d2fca0d1f97d2400aee5b7c7248e4a50
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228954/cdc_228954_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 203.87 KB ]