Inspection Detail
Inspection: 1488815.015 - Debest, Incorporated
Inspection Information - Office: Miosha Construction Safety & Health Division
Site Address:
Debest, Incorporated
478 Lakeshore Dr.
South Haven, MI 49090
Mailing Address:
05264 C.R. 687, South Haven, MI 49090
Union Status: NonUnion
SIC:
NAICS: 561730/Landscaping Services
Inspection Type: Fat/Cat
Scope: Partial
Advanced Notice: N
Ownership: Private
Safety/Health: Safety
Close Conference: 11/02/2020
Emphasis: S:Construction
Case Closed: 07/12/2021
Type | Activity Nr | Safety | Health |
---|---|---|---|
Accident | 1646632 | ||
Inspection | 1494547 | Yes |
Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Unclass | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Violations | 4 | 4 | ||||
Current Violations | 4 | 4 | ||||
Initial Penalty | $8,400 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $8,400 |
Current Penalty | $8,400 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $8,400 |
FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
# | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Issuance Date | Abatement Due Date | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | FTA Penalty | Contest | Latest Event | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 01001 | Serious | 408.40114(1) | 11/20/2020 | 12/02/2020 | $700 | $700 | $0 | Z - Issued | ||
2. | 01002 | Serious | 408.40932(4) | 11/20/2020 | 12/02/2020 | $700 | $700 | $0 | Z - Issued | ||
3. | 01003 | Serious | 408.40941(1) | 11/20/2020 | $3,500 | $3,500 | $0 | Z - Issued | |||
4. | 01004 | Serious | 408.40932(1) | 11/20/2020 | 12/02/2020 | $3,500 | $3,500 | $0 | Z - Issued |
Investigation Summary
At 9:00 a.m. on August 19, 2020, an employee was working as a construction laborer for a landscaping service. He and some coworkers were working in an excavation. They were installing 150-millimeter (6-inch) drain line for an underground utilities project. The excavation had been dug by their foreman, who operated the equipment. The excavation was approximately 8.2 meters (27 feet) in length by 3.7 meters (12 feet) in depth. The angle of repose was approximately 88 to 90 degrees on the north, south, and east sides. Soil conditions consisted of sand mixed with clay and some gravel, with previously excavated material, consisting of varying levels of sand and clay, mixed in at different depths. Fissures developed in the excavation walls as the depth of the excavation increased. The workers did not immediately report the hazardous condition of the excavation walls, as none of them recognized the hazard associated with changing soil conditions. No accident prevention program had been developed or coordinated with the workers. The foreman and equipment operator was working at the jobsite and was in direct and plain view of the workers exposed to the excavation collapse hazard. The near-vertical walls collapsed onto the employee. He suffered multiple severe injuries, and he was asphyxiated by being buried under excavated materials. He was killed. At one place, the account says that he was hospitalized, so he might have died after being removed from the collapse.
Keywords: Asphyxiated, Buried, Caught Between, Caught In, Collapse, Construction, Drain Pipe, Equipment Operator, Excavation, Landscaping, Training, Trench, Unstable Soil, Wall
# | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1488815.015 | 56 | M | Fatality | Construction laborers |