Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126006311 - Randall Joe Williams

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 17, 1997, Employees #1 and #2 and a coworker were installing drain pipe into a 5 ft 2 in. deep and approximately 24 in. wide excavation next to a planter box in front of a house. The outside wall of the planter box also supported a section of a overhanging tile roof. The undermined footing of the planter box appeared to fail and the street side wall fell into and against the vertical wall of the excavation, covering Employees #1 and #2. Emergency 911 was called at 4:58 p.m., and the local fire department/rescue squad arrived at 5:04 p.m. Employee #2, who was buried to his waist, was removed and transported to a local hospital at 5:36 p.m. Rescue workers reached Employee #1 and he was receiving medical attention when he but died at 5:47 p.m. Rescue efforts to continue removing broken pieces of the wall from the excavation were halted, and Employee #1's body was removed by the City's Public Works Department. The homeowner was cited for failure to properly protect workers in an excavation, and for not having a safety program.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, INSTALLING, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, UNSTABLE SOIL, SLOPING, BURIED, CAVE-IN