Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 200040210 - Employee killed in trench cave-in

Accident Summary Nr: 200040210 -- Report ID: 0653510 -- Event Date: 09/01/1998
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
302264213	09/02/1998	1711	0	Lane Plumbing & Heating

Abstract: On September 1, 1998, Employee #1 and coworkers, of Lane Plumbing Company, Inc., were completing a sewer line installation for a new addition at the White Mountain Elementary School in Ruidoso, NM. Employee #1 entered a trench and began cleaning out loose dirt so a 20 ft length of sewer pipe could be placed. A coworker was at the truck getting supplies and a second coworker was moving the backhoe out of the way to assist in the sewer pipe installation. The backhoe operator was exiting his vehicle when he heard yelling coming from the trench and saw that an approximately 20 ft section of the southeast bank had collapsed on Employee #1. He yelled to the other coworker, and they both tried to extricate Employee #1 from the trench. When their efforts failed, they called 911 but continued digging until a rescue team arrived. Emergency personnel removed Employee #1 from the collapsed trench; he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, INSTALLING, COLLAPSE, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, BURIED, CAVE-IN

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Excavation, landfill		New project or new addition		Under $50,000		6	X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	302264213			Fatality	Asphyxia	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Excavation Fatality Cause: Trench collapse

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