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Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 132127.015 - Foreman is killed when excavation collapses

Accident Summary Nr: 132127.015 -- Report ID: 0552651 -- Event Date: 12/30/2020
Inspection NrDate OpenedSICNAICSEstablishment Name
1508540.01512/31/2020237310Eastpointe, City Of

Abstract: At 6:15 p.m. on December 30, 2020, Employee #1 and coworkers, employed by a city, were working in an excavation at a sewer/water treatment plant and repairing a broken underground water main. Employee #1, the foreman, was directing the work, operating a backhoe, and working in the excavation. The excavation measured approximately 14 feet long by 14 feet wide and was 8 feet deep. The width at the bottom of the excavation was approximately 4 feet. The pipe being repaired was a 12-inch water main, and the break was located approximately 1 to 2 feet from the excavation's north wall, which was near vertical and unshored. The water main had been leaking for several hours, and the north wall consisted of a saturated mix of clay and sand. According to later statements from coworkers, the foreman had approximately ten minutes of work left to complete the repair when the north wall broke off and fell on top of him, pinning him face down in the mud. The pump in use to control the flow of water became clogged in the collapse, and the excavation quickly filled up with water. Coworkers estimated that the foreman was submerged for approximately 10 minutes before emergency medical services arrived on scene. Employee #1, the foreman, was killed in the excavation cave-in.

Keywords: Asphyxiated, Blunt force trauma, Buried, Caught In, Construction, Excavation, Injury Illness Prevention Program, Pinned, Shoring, Structural Collapse, Unguarded, Unprotected, Untrained, Wall
Accident Details
End Use Project Type Project Cost Stories Non-building Height Fatality
Sewer/water treatment plant Maintenance or repair   0 X

Employee Details
Employee # Inspection Nr Age Sex Degree of Injury Nature of Injury Occupation Construction
1 1508540.015 41 M Fatality Construction laborers Distance of Fall: feet
Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet
Cause: Trenching, installing pipe
Fatality Cause:

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