UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At 2:30 p.m. on September 11, 2017, Employee #1 and Coworker #1, employed by a c onstruction company, were engaged in excavation and trenching work at a resident ial property. They were tasked with removing an existing drainage pipe and repl acing it with a new pipe. Coworker #1 was operating excavation equipment, and E mployee #1 was working in the excavation made to access and remove the existing pipe and install new pipe. The excavation was reported to be 11 to 21 feet long , its width varied from 2.5 feet to 10 feet, and its depth was 6.2 feet. A 2.5 feet by 10 feet trench, where the new pipe would be installed, extended from the excavation. As Employee #1 worked in the excavation, a loose stone dislodged f rom the east vertical face, struck him, and knocked him to his knees. The east face of the excavation collapsed, and Employee #1 was buried and trapped up to h is waist. Emergency services were called and, after Employee #1 was trapped for 30 to 40 minutes in the cave-in, emergency responders extracted him from the we t soil. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, admitted, and treated for a fractured pelvis. He required four surgeries, a blood transfusion, and physic al therapy. During the subsequent investigation, it was determined that the exc avation had been made in Class C soil that was wet and had a compression strengt h of 0.25 to 0.5 ton per square foot. The soil had not been classified, and cav e-in protective systems had not been used during the excavation work.