Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1295963.015 - Burtech Pipeline Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:30 a.m. on February 16, 2018, Employees #1 and #2 and Coworker #1, employed by a public utilities contractor, were working in the far right northbound lane of a four-lane road. They were digging a trench in order to make connections for a 10-inch water line from a new water main to a newly installed hydrant on the sidewalk. Coworker #1, the foreman, was operating a backhoe and digging the trench. Employees #1 and #2 were assisting from the road surface. A municipal work crew was working at a second trench approximately 45 feet north of the contractor's crew. The municipal crew had extended a 2.5-inch fire hose across all four lanes to drain water from an old hydrant. A pickup truck with a street sweeper attachment was travelling southbound. The street sweeper snagged the fire hose and dragged it southbound. The hose struck Employees #1 and #2 and knocked them into the trench. Emergency services were called, and Employees #1 and #2 were transported to the hospital. Employee #1 was hospitalized and treated for fractures to the rib and spine and soft tissue injury to the shoulder. Employee #2 was treated for a fractured right hand and back pain and released without hospitalization.

Keywords: Construction, Fall, Fracture, Hand, Rib, Spine, Struck By, Traffic Accident, Trench, Water Hose