OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14295505
POOLESVILLE PLUMBING AND HEATING CO.
BETHESDA, MD·
Event description
TRENCH CAVED IN, BURYING EMPLOYEE
Investigation abstract
ON JUNE 20, 1986, AT APPROXIMATELY 11:30 AM, EMPLOYEE #1, A PLUMBER EMPLOYED BY #1. SHORING HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED BEFORE THE EMPLOYEE ENTERED THE TRENCH. THE EMPLOYEE WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH MULTIPLE INJURIES. THE POOLESVILLE PLUMBING & HEATING COMPANY, WAS IN AN UNSHORED TRENCH. THE TRENC H WAS DUG ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING STRUCTURE, AND RAN NORTH-SOUTH FOR ABOUT 10 FE ET. THE TRENCH THEN TURNED 45 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT AND RAN ANOTHER 15 FEET. THE TRENCH WAS DUG ON A SLOPE AND WAS ABOUT 10 FEET DEEP AT THE NORTH END, TAPERING TO ABOUT 3 FEET AT THE SOUTH END. THE TRENCH WAS ABOUT 3 FEET WIDE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS POSITIONED IN THE TRENCH AT THE POINT WHERE IT MADE THE 45 DEGREE TURN. AT T HIS POINT THE TRENCH WAS ABOUT 8 FEET DEEP. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS INSTALLING AN 8 INCH PVC STORM DRAIN PIPE. THE SIDES SUDDENLY CAVED IN, COMPLETELY COVERING EMPLOYEE
Victim
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 34 M
- Nature of injury
- 20
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 2
- Source
- 12
- Occupation code
- 585
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 13
- 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.