105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14528269

WORK RULES,SHORING,CAVE-IN,BACKHOE BUCKET,FOOT,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,STRUCK BY

Event
WORK RULES,SHORING,CAVE-IN,BACKHOE BUCKET,FOOT,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,STRUCK BY
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14528269
Report ID
419400

Event description

1 CONSTRUCTION WORKER KILLED, 1 INJURED IN TRENCH CAVE-IN

Investigation abstract

AT APPROXIMATELY 8:15 AM ON APRIL 20, 1988, EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE PREPARING T HOSPITALIZED. O "SHOOT THE GRADE" FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A 6 INCH DIAMETER AND 20 FEET LONG S ECTION OF PVC SEWER PIPE IN A TRENCH. THE TRENCH WAS 60 FEET LONG, 8 FEET DEEP A ND 2 TO 3 FEET WIDE. THE WALLS WERE VERTICAL AND UNSHORED. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS IN TH E TRENCH HOLDING THE GRADE POLE. EMPLOYEE #2 WAS APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET AWAY, LOO KING THROUGH THE SIGHT INSTRUMENT. THE EAST BANK OF THE TRENCH CAVED IN, TOTALLY COVERING EMPLOYEE #1. HE DIED FROM SERIOUS HEAD AND CHEST INJURIES. EMPLOYEE #2 RECEIVED A FOOT INJURY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO HELP DIG OUT EMPLOYEE #1. THE BUCKET OF THE BACKHOE STRUCK HIM ON THE LEFT FOOT, CAUSING AN INJURY FOR WHICH HE WAS

Victims (4)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 20 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    2
    Source
    12
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    6
    Task assigned
    2
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 50 M

    Nature of injury
    3
    Part of body
    11
    Event type
    1
    Source
    27
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    8
    Task assigned
    2
  3. #981 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0
  4. #982 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

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.