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 #14480917

TRENCH,SHORING,BRACING,SLOPING,CAVE-IN

Event
TRENCH,SHORING,BRACING,SLOPING,CAVE-IN
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14480917
Report ID
214200

Event description

TRENCH CAVE-IN (SEWER PIPE INSTALLATION)

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING IN A TRENCH, INSTALLING A NEW SEWER LINE AT THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT #1 MOUNTAIN SIDE DRIVE, CHATHAM TOWNSHIP, N.J. THE TRENCH WAS 6'TO 8 ' FEET DEEP. HE WAS DIGGING BY HAND AT THE FOUNDATION OF A NEW STORY HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. EMPLOYEE #1 REPORTED TO WORK ON JUNE 27, 1985 AT 12 NOON. THE TRE NCH CAVED IN AT 2:56 PM, TRAPPING HIM. HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT 4:50 PM. THE CA USE OF THE CAVE-IN WAS THE LACK OF PROPER SHORING, BRACING, SHEETING, OR SLOPING IN ACCORDANCE WITH 29 CFR 1926.652 (B).

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 23 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    5
    Event type
    2
    Source
    12
    Occupation code
    999
    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.