Inspection Detail

Inspection: 101244259 - The Vanderbilt Group

Inspection Information - Office: Region 09; San Francisco

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was using a hand shovel to remove dirt that had fallen onto the floor of a 9 ft deep trench. He was tossing the dirt up and over the trench's east wall, which was made of concrete block. The trench's west wall, which was unshored and had been previously disturbed when a buried pipe for water and a retainer bank directly above the trench location were backfilled, caved in and buried Employee #1. The employee suffered a fractured skull and a crushed chest, from which he died of asphyxia. The trench was 2 ft wide at the base and 2 to 6 ft wide at the top. The soil was wet from the previous week. A water faucet used for drinking water was accessible from only the trench floor where the employee was recovered.

Keywords: CHEST, ASPHYXIATED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, CRUSHED, SKULL, SHORING, SLOPING, CAVE-IN