Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316198415 - Dh Griffin Wrecking Co

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

On December 19, 2011 Employee #1, an excavator operator, of DH Griffin Company exited his cab and entered the excavation he was digging. The excavation site was a large swimming pool shaped open pit measuring approximately 34 feet by 75 feet and up to 13 feet at its deeper end. A wall of spoils pile dirt lined the southeastern wall of the excavation with a service road just wide enough for a skid steer to operate up and down the side of it. The north/western side was fairly open with the exception of one spoils pile of dirt left on a concrete pad at the excavation edge. Within 20 yards of this area, Employee #1 was operating to remove soil from the pit and loading it into the dump trailers that had backed up to this same area. Speculation was that Employee #1 entered the excavation to examine an area where a foul fuel-like odor emanated from a recently removed bucket of soil. Within seconds of entering the excavation, the side wall exploded outward striking Employee #1 from behind and burying him completely. Witnesses to the event quickly ran to his aid in an effort to free him from the soil. Emergency services arrived to complete the rescue efforts and transported him to the hospital. Employee # 1 was later pronounced dead. He had sustained fatal injuries from the weight of the soil as it struck him to body and head.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, HEAD, COLLAPSE, FALL, BURIED, CONCRETE