Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 131877.015 - Employee is killed when trench wall collapses

Accident Summary Nr: 131877.015 -- Report ID: 0418100 -- Event Date: 12/18/2020
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
1507528.015	12/18/2020		238910	Balance Site Inc

Abstract: At 1:00 p.m. on December 18, 2020, Employee #1 and a coworker, employed by a construction company, were engaged in site preparation for a planned multifamily residential structure. The coworker was operating an excavator and digging a trench where a sewer pipe was being removed. Employee #1 was spotting for his coworker. For no apparent reason, Employee #1 entered the trench, which was not protected from collapse. His coworker subsequently stated that he told Employee #1 to get out of the trench. As Employee #1 moved toward a ladder to exit the trench, a trench wall collapsed. Employee #1 was buried in approximately 8 feet of dirt. It took approximately 20 minutes for his coworker and others to extricate Employee #1 from the trench. CPR was performed unsuccessfully. Employee #1 was killed by asphyxia.

Keywords: Asphyxiated, Buried, CPR, Excavation, Pipe, Residential Construction, Sewer, Structural Collapse, Trench, Unguarded, Unprotected, Unresponsive

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Multi-family dwelling		New project or new addition					X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	1507528.015	43	M	Fatality		Helpers, construction trades	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Excavation Fatality Cause:

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