OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #764324
UNION ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC.
PASADENA, CA·
Event description
EARTHQUAKE CAUSED EXCAVATION CAVE-IN; EMPLOYEE BURIED
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 WAS WORKING AT THE BOTTOM OF A PILE-FOOTING EXCAVATION, BELLING OUT SAVE HIMSELF. HE SUFFOCATED. THE BOTTOM WITH A PICK AND SHOVEL. THE EXCAVATION WAS 32 FEET DEEP AND 4 FEET IN DIAMETER. THE FOOTING EXCAVATION WAS NOT SHORED, SHIELDED OR SLOPED, NOR WAS EM PLOYEE #1 EQUIPPED WITH A SAFETY BELT AND LANYARD. THE SOIL IN THE EXCAVATION WA S DISTURBED DIRT WHICH HAD BEEN PUSHED DOWN TO FILL IN A RETAINING (CRIB) WALL. THE EMPLOYER STATED THAT, AS EMPLOYEE #1 WAS BELLING OUT THE BOTTOM, AN EARTHQUA KE OCCURRED. THE SIDE OF THE EXCAVATION CAVED IN, BURYING EMPLOYEE #1 UNDER 5 FE ET OF DIRT. SINCE EMPLOYEE #1 DID NOT HAVE A SAFETY BELT AND LANYARD, AND THERE WAS NO LADDER IN THE EXCAVATION, THE EMPLOYEE COULD NOT BE RESCUED OR ATTEMPT TO
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 40 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 9
- Event type
- 2
- Source
- 12
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 17
- Environmental factor
- 17
- 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.