OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #997957
CHEST,FRACTURE,LUNG,ABDOMEN,CONSTRUCTION,TRENCH,SHORING,UNSTABLE SOIL,SLOPING,CAVE-IN
Event description
TWO EMPLOYEES INJURED IN TRENCH CAVE-IN
Investigation abstract
ON THE FOURTH OF NOVEMBER, 1986, A CREW CONSISTING OF EMPLOYEE #1, EMPLOYEE #2 A BOTH MEN WERE DUG OUT AND IMMEDIATELY TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE. EMPLOY EE #1 SUFFERED MAJOR CHEST TRAUMA, A COLLAPSED LUNG AND MULTIPLE FRACTURES OF TH E CHEST WALL AND SHOULDER. EMPLOYEE #2 ONLY SUFFERED ABDOMINAL PAINS. ND AN EQUIPMENT OPERATOR WERE LAYING 8 INCH STEEL PIPE AT THE PLAINVIEW DISPOSAL PLANT. WHILE DIGGING THE 7 FOOT WIDE, 7 FOOT TO 11 1/2 FOOT DEEP TRENCH A WATER LINE WAS RUPTURED. WATER BEGAN TO FILL THE TRENCH, SO EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 PLACE D A PUMP INTO THE TRENCH TO REMOVE THE WATER. THE CREW THEN WENT TO LUNCH WHILE THE TRENCH WAS BEING PUMPED OUT. AT 12:30 THE CREW RETURNED FROM LUNCH AND BEGAN USING A SMALL SHOVEL TO LOCATE THE DAMAGED WATER LINE. AT THE POINT WHERE THE L INE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED THE EMPLOYEES HAD TO DIG ABOUT A FOOT INTO THE BANK. S HORTLY AFTER THEY DUG INTO THE BANK THE BANK GAVE WAY, TRAPPING BOTH EMPLOYEES.
Victims (2)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 12
- Occupation code
- 869
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 31 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 5
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 12
- Occupation code
- 869
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- 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.