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 #14444251

WORK RULES,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,SHORING,SLOPING,BURIED,CAVE-IN

Event
WORK RULES,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,SHORING,SLOPING,BURIED,CAVE-IN
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14444251
Report ID
355111

Event description

Employee dies in trench cave-in

Investigation abstract

At approximately 2:40 p.m. on August 6, 1984, Employee #1 was squatting in a tre not injured. nch wiping out the hub of an 8 in. by 12 ft section of previously laid PVC pipe in preparation for installing another section. The trench was approximately 50 f t to 60 ft long, 24 ft wide, and 7 ft to 8 ft deep. A coworker was also in the t rench to help Employee #1 lay the pipe. Suddenly the bank cracked open, and anot her employee outside the trench yelled a warning as the bank caved in. Employee #1 was struck by the collapsing soil and completely buried. He was pronounced de ad op recovery about 10 to 15 minutes later. No protective measures such as slop ing or shoring had been provided. The coworker was farther up the trench and was

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 55 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    2
    Source
    12
    Occupation code
    85
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1

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