Inspection Detail

Inspection: 18601112 - Karish Construction Co., Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Ky Labor Cabinet Division Of Osh Compliance

Investigation Summary

A construction company was laying gravity flow sewer lines (14,000 ft 8 and 10 in. PVC pipe). Employees #1 and #2, laborers, were working inside a trench box. While the foreman was away from the site for a few minutes to pick up tools, the employees decided to get out of the box and lay a 13 ft section of pipe. As they placed the pipe into position, the side walls began to kick in. As they ran to the box, Employee #1 fell and was covered up with approximately 3 ft of soil. Employee #2 made it into the box and tried to shovel Employee #1 out, but he was struck by a large clump of dirt that pinned him to a cross member of the box as he leaned out over it. Both men were rescued and hospitalized. The company requires that employees work inside the trench box at all times.

Keywords: PINNED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, UNSTABLE SOIL, BURIED, CAVE-IN