Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 202359287 - Two Employees Are Killed When Trench Collapses

Accident Summary Nr: 202359287 -- Report ID: 0352450 -- Event Date: 07/19/2006
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
310076203	07/27/2006	1799	238190	G C Painting Solution, Llc

Abstract: On July 19, 2006, Employees #1 and #2, along with two coworkers and the owner of the firm that employed them, constituted a group of five people working in a trench that was 18.5 inches wide by 17 feet long by approximately 9 feet deep. The trench was being dug next to a single family home, as the crew had been hired to fix leaks in the home's basement. The crew in the trench hoped to complete the digging of the trench and then perform waterproofing work to the exterior walls of the basement. They had dug the trench by hand using picks and shovels, and the dirt was removed with five-gallon buckets. The spoil pile was approximately 2.5 feet back from the edge of the trench. Suddenly, the wall of the trench collapsed, completely burying Employee #1 and burying Employee #2 up to his head. His face and his right side from the waist up were clear of the dirt. Additionally, a coworker was in the trench when it collapsed. He was near the ladder they were using and got out of the trench without being trapped. Both employees trapped by the collapse were pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical services personnel.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, ASPHYXIATED, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, TRENCH DIGGER, BURIED, CAVE-IN

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Single family or duplex dwelling		Maintenance or repair		Under $50,000	2	20	X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	310076203			Fatality	Asphyxia	Occupation not reported	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Excavation Fatality Cause: Trench collapse
2	310076203			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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