OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #704171
CHEST,TRENCH BOX,ASPHYXIATED,WORK RULES,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,SHORING,UNSTABLE SOIL,SLOPING,CAVE-IN
Event description
Employee killed in trench cave-in
Investigation abstract
At approximately 2:20 p.m. on November 15, 1985, Employee #1 and a coworker were s operating the backhoe. The employees interviewed were not knowledgeable about the company's safety and health policies and rules, nor were they involved in th e company's safety meetings. laying pipe in a 60 ft long trench that was 8 to 23 ft deep, and varied in widt h from 3 to 4 ft at the bottom to 10 to 12 ft at the top. Both employees were in the trench when the side wall caved in, trapping Employee #1. He died of asphyx ia due to chest compression. The trench had no shoring and the side walls had no t been cut to the required angle of repose. A steel trench box was on the job si te, but it was not being used. The soil was a dry, loose, fine gravel and fine s and with mica and decomposing rock. Two coworkers were outside the trench at the time of the accident. One was handing down pipe and hand tools and the other wa
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 26 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 2
- Source
- 12
- Occupation code
- 558
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 1
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