Accident
Report No. 31 - Fatal Facts |
|
OSHA
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration
No. 31
Accident Summary
Accident
Type |
Cave-in
|
Weather |
Cloudy
and Dry |
Type
of Operation |
Trenching
and excavation |
Crew
Size |
4
|
Collective Bargaining |
No
|
Competent
Safety Monitor on Site? |
Yes
|
Safety
and Health Program in Effect? |
Yes
|
Was
the Worksite Inspected Regularly? |
Yes
|
Training
and Education Provided? |
No
|
Employee
Job Title |
Pipe
Layer |
Age/Sex |
32/M
|
Experience
at this Type of Work |
9
months |
Time
on Project |
2 weeks |
|
|
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
Employees were laying
sewer pipe in a trench 15 feet deep. The sides of the trench, 4 feet wide
at the bottom and 15 feet wide at the top, were not shored or protected
to prevent a cave-in. Soil in the lower portion of the trench was mostly
sand and gravel and the upper portion was clay and loam. The trench was
not protected from vibration caused by heavy vehicle traffic on the road
nearby. To leave the trench, employees had to exit by climbing over the
backfill. As they attempted to leave the trench, there was a small cave-in
covering one employee to his ankles. When the other employee went to his
co-worker's aid another cave-in occurred covering him to his waist. The
first employee died of a rupture of the right ventricle of his heart at
the scene of the cave-in. The other employee suffered a hip injury.
INSPECTION RESULTS
Following investigation,
citations were is sued alleging three willful, four serious and two non-serious
violations of construction standards. Had the trench been shored to prevent
slides or cave-ins and had employees been trained to recognize and avoid
unsafe conditions, the accident could have been prevented.
ACCIDENT PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS
- Employers must
instruct employees on how to recognize and avoid hazardous conditions
and on regulations applicable to the work environment (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)).
- Excavated and
other materials must be effectively stored and retained at least two
feet from the edge of the excavation (29 CFR 1926.651(i)(1)).
- The employer
must ensure that the walls or side of trenches in unstable or soft
material 5 feet or more in depth, be shored, sheeted, braced, sloped,
or protected in some manner to prevent cave-ins and to protect employees
required to work within them (29 CFR 1926.652(b)).
- When excavations
are subjected to vibrations from highway traffic, additional precautions
must be taken to prevent cave-ins (29 CFR 1926.652 (e)).
- Ladders must
be provided as a means of exit when employees are required to be in
trenches 4 or more feet deep (29 CFR 1926.652(h)).
SOURCES OF HELP
- Construction Safety
and Health Standards (OSHA 2207) which contains all OSHA job safety
and health rules and regulations covering construction.
- OSHA-funded free
consultation services. Consult your telephone directory for the number
of your local OSHA area or regional office for further assistance and
advice (listed under US Labor Department or under the state government
section where states administer their own OSHA programs).
- OSHA Safety and
Health Training Guidelines for Construction (available from the National
Technical Information Service - Order No. PB-239-312/AS) comprised of
a set of 15 guidelines to help construction employees establish a training
program in the safe use of equipment, tools, and machinery on the job.
- Excavation and
Trenching Operations (OSHA 2226), is a 20 page booklet describing pertinent
OSHA standards in detail.
- Sloping, Shoring,
and Shielding, a one-day instructional program with classroom session
and hands-on workshop. Available from NAC (Order No. 009863, $30), the
package includes an instructor's manual, outline for field exercise/workshop
and 60 slides.
This document appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the
author and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their
consent. eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors
are not responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this web
site, nor for its use or misuse.
NOTE: The case here described was selected as being representative of
fatalities caused by improper work practices. No special emphasis or priority
is implied nor is the case necessarily a recent occurrence. The legal
aspects of the incident have been resolved, and the case is now closed.
eLCOSH
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