Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310489562 - Armond Avakian, Homeowner

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 26, 2007, Employee #1 and coworkers had been engaged by a homeowner to construct a retaining wall in the back yard of the residence. The site presented a 25 ft tall cut face excavation approximately 20 ft in length. Employee #1 and at least one other coworker were digging with shovels at the base of the cut face to a level below grade of the existing patio when the cut face partially collapsed, burying Employee #1 to the top of his head. There had also been an approximately 6 ft tall Bobcat 463 skid steer loader working alongside him and it was buried almost to its top. The coworker immediately began to extract Employee #1 and had uncovered him to about chest level when the Glendale Fire Department arrived and successfully completed the rescue. Employee #1 was airlifted to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, where he was admitted. During subsequent investigation it was determined that the homeowner was not using any sort of cave-in protective measures, and a search of the DOSH database revealed the homeowner had not obtained a permit from Division of Occupational Safety and Health to perform the work. The employer was cited for an accident-related violation, serious, of T8CCR 1541.1(a), No cave-in protection on an excavation over 5 ft deep with employee exposure; a violation, serious, of T8CCR 1541 (k), Inadequate trench inspection by a competent person; violations, general, of T8CCR 1509 (a) No Injury and Illness Prevention Program, of T8CCR 1676 (j,) Improperly built job-made ladder, and of T8CCR 1509 (c,) No Code of Safe Practices at the work site; and a violation, regulatory, of T8CCR 341 (d)(5)(A), No excavation permit prior to start of the job.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, TRENCH BOX, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, SHORING, SLOPING, BURIED, CAVE-IN