Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317588945 - Carter Quality Plumbing, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Charlotte

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on March 3, 2014, Employee #1 and Coworker #1, both employed by a plumbing contractor, and Coworker #2, employed by Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities, were involved in the repair of a leaking sewer line in a residential neighborhood. Employee #1 was working in an excavation, and his assistant, Coworker #1, was positioned outside the excavation. As Employee #1 applied PVC cement to joints on a 4-inch sewer line, the north wall of the excavation collapsed and pinned him against the south wall of the excavation. Employee #1 was engulfed in soil up to his waist. Coworkers #1 and #2 jumped into the trench and dug around the entrapped employee, removing dirt and enabling him to move his legs. They then pulled Employee #1 from the excavation. The Charlotte Fire Department and Medic arrived in response to a call for emergency services and evaluated Employee #1. Employee #1 refused to be transported to the hospital and remained in the employer's vehicle until a Cal/OSHA investigator arrived to obtain information. Employee #1 and Employee #2 returned the next day to complete the plumbing work on the sewer line. The Cal/OSHA investigation determined that Employee #1 had been working in an excavation that measured approximately 5 feet deep, 9 feet 8 inches long, and 5 feet 3 inches wide. Employee #1 had used a Mini-Excavator to dig the excavation. When water began running into the excavation from an adjacent water line, Employee #1 called Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities, and an employee, Coworker #2, arrived at 3:00 pm on March 3, 2014, to fix the water line. This accounted for Coworker #2's presence at the site and consequent ability to participate in the rescue. The investigation findings included unsupported and unprotected underground installations; water accumulation; lack of a competent person performing daily inspections; spoil piles not positioned at least 2 feet from the excavation edges; lack of sloping or use of a protective system; lack of a hazard communication program; and lack of Global Harmonized System training.

Keywords: LEAK, EXCAVATION, REPAIR, WALL, COLLAPSE, PINNED, CONSTRUCTION, PIPELINE, PLUMBING, SLOPING