Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316736156 - Mechanicsville Backhoe, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Norfolk (Regional Office) - Safety 0355112

Investigation Summary

On September 20, 2012, Employee #1 was having 57 stones delivered and dumped onto sewer laterals to close the trenches. The employee had a coworker, truck driver, back the truck up to the front of the trench, and start unloading. Employee #1 was standing near the rear of the truck during the operation, and was in view of the coworker. The employee was signaling to the coworker to dump the stones. The coworker observed Employee #1 jump into the trench and immediately lowered the dump bed and pulled the truck forward. Another coworker went to the trench to help the employee get out of the trench, but found him completely covered with stones. The coworker started yelling for help. Another coworker, pumper driver, from across the street and a coworker, a drywall installer, from the next house jumped into the trench to uncover Employee #1, while the GC called Emergency Medical Service. The pumper driver stated that he heard muffled speech coming from the employee when he first got into the trench but that shortly stopped the employee was not uncovered by the time the JCC Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the site. Employee #1 stopped breathing while in the trench and his heart had stopped by the time he was extracted. The JCC Fire and Rescue Department respondent administered CPR and his pulse was restarted. Employee #1 was transported to Williamsburg Regional Hospital, where the employee died in the Trauma Center the following afternoon.

Keywords: TRENCH, TRUCK, DUMP TRUCK, DUMPER, FALL, BURIED, DUMP TRUCK BED