OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14546444
HEREFORD'S BACKHOE WORK, INC.
MADISON, AL·
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED IN TRENCH CAVE IN
Investigation abstract
At approximately 2:00 p.m. on May 19, 1989, Employee #1 was shovel grading the b ottom of an unprotected 16 foot deep, 24 inch wide sewer trench. The backhoe ope rator foreman was excavating at the end of the trench for a manhole. The side of the trench broke away where the backhoe bucket was working. Employee #1 was cov ered with earth. The right side of his rib cage was crushed and he died from asp hyxiation.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 30 Male
- Nature of injury
- Asphyxia (2)
- Part of body
- CHEST (5)
- Accident type
- STRUCK BY (1)
- Source of injury
- DIRT/SAND/STONE (12)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
- Environmental factor
- SQUEEZE POINT ACTION (4)
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.