104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14217657

EXCAVATION,TRENCH,CAVE-IN

Event
EXCAVATION,TRENCH,CAVE-IN
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14217657
Report ID
150900

Event description

TRENCH COLLAPSE

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1 AND A CO-WORKER WERE EXCAVATING A TRENCH TO LAY DRAIN PIPE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS OPERATING A JOHN DEERE BACKHOE, MODEL J D SERIES B. EMPLOYEE #1 SHUT OFF THE EXCAVATING EQUIPMENT TO HELP THE CO-WORKER WITH A WATER PUMP. THE CO-WORKER STARTED PUMPING WATER FROM A METERING PIT. EMPLOYEE #1 WENT INTO THE TRENCH WIT H A SHOVEL TO LOCATE A PIPE. HE SAW A SECTION OF THE NORTH WALL CALLAPSE AND FAL L INTO THE TRENCH. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS CRUSHED BETWEEN THE COLLAPSED SOIL AND THE SO UTH WALL. THE TRENCH WAS 2 FEET WIDE AND 37 FEET LONG. THE DEPTH OF THE TRENCE W AS NOT UNIFORM, VARYING BETWEEN 6-1/2 TO 4 FEET. THE TRENCH WAS 6-1/2 FEET DEEP IN THE AREA OF THE COLLAPSE.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    5
    Event type
    1
    Source
    12
    Occupation code
    855
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    6
    Task assigned
    1

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.