ACCIDENT SUMMARY No. 52

Accident Type:	Trench Cave-in
Weather Conditions:	Clear/Dry
Type of Operation:	General Contract
Size of Work Crew:	15
Collective Bargaining	No
Competent Safety Monitor on Site:	Yes
Safety and Health Program in Effect:	Inadequate*
Was the Worksite Inspected Regularly:	Yes
Training and Education Provided:	No
Employee Job Title:	Laborer
Age & Sex:	30-Male
Experience at this Type of Work:	3 Years
Time on Project:	3 Weeks

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT

A four-man crew was replacing a concrete filter tank at a car wash construction site. After the small tank had been removed, two employees entered the trench to hand grade the bottom. The trench, 9' deep, 14' long, and 6' wide, had vertical faces which were not shored or sloped. One face of the trench collapsed, fatally injuring one employee and causing serious injuries to the other.

* Safety training requirement not being carried on at time of accident.

INSPECTION RESULTS

The OSHA inspector found that the employees were working in a trench which had sides of unstable material. The sides, more than 5 feet in depth, were neither supported nor sloped. Employees were not wearing any personal protection for the head. Employees were also working near protruding rebars, approximately 19 inches high, exposing them to the hazard of impalement. OSHA cited the employer for four violations.

ACCIDENT PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Employers must instruct employees to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions associated with their work [29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)].
2. Sides of trenches in unstable or soft material more than five feet in depth must be shored, braced, sloped, or otherwise supported to protect employees working within them [29 CFR 1926.652(b)].
3. Employees working in an unshored trench in unstable material deeper than five feet must wear personal protective equipment to protect them from possible head injuries [29 CFR 1926.650(e)].
4. Employer must provide guards to protect employees from fall onto protruding steel reinforcing rods [29 CFR 1926.701(b)].

SOURCES OF HELP

• OSHA General Industry Standards [CFR parts 1900-1910] and OSHA Construction Standards [CFR Part 1926] which together include all OSHA job safety and health rules and regulations covering construction.
• OSHA-funded free consultation services listed in telephone directories under U.S. 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, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161; 703/487-4650; Order No. PB-239-312/AS): a set of 15 guidelines to help construction employers establish a training program in the safe use of equipment, tools, and machinery on the job.

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.