Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 202087904 - Employee injured when trench walls cave in

Accident Summary Nr: 202087904 -- Report ID: 0524700 -- Event Date: 10/12/2006
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
309443703	10/13/2006	1794	238910	G.E. Baker Construction Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 10:30 a.m. on October 12, 2006, Employee #1 was installing a 12 in. water line in a trench that ran alongside an Interstate highway. The trench was approximately 6 ft deep on one side and 4 ft deep on the other. The temperature was below 32 degrees F, and there had been a mixture of rain and snow throughout the day. Employee #1 was installing the water line to a depth of 4 ft and had not noticed the elevation increase along the road while excavating. A fissure formed in the trench while he was working and the walls collapsed in on him. Employee #1 suffered a fractured jaw and multiple contusions over his body. Emergency medical personnel rescued him from the trench and transported him to a hospital, where he was treated for about four days. The trench was not sloped, benched, or protected with shielding systems.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, FRACTURE, TRENCH BOX, INSTALLING, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, SHORING, CAVE-IN, FACE, CONTUSION

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Pipeline		New project or new addition		$250,000 to $500,000		6

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	309443703			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Construction laborers	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Installing underground plumbing conduit Fatality Cause: Trench collapse

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