Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001B Hazard:

29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1): Each employee in an excavation was not protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system designed in accordance with 29 CFR 1926.652 (b) or (c). Kiewit Infrastructure Co., at 4595 E. 46th Ave, Denver, CO 80216: On or before February 26, 2020, the employer did not ensure that each employee replacing a section of a water line, inside a trench, with one nearly vertical wall, that measured 8 feet, 3 inches in depth, was protected from cave-in. The employer sloped the 3 other sides of the trench, however a nearly vertical wall, on the north side of the excavation was left unprotected, in that the nearly vertical wall consisting of multi-layered soil, was left exposed and unprotected. The employer had not complied with the provisions of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P, Appendix B, Table B 1.4, in that, all excavations 20 feet or less in depth made in layered soils shall have a maximum allowable slope for soil or rock deposit. The maximum allowable slope associated with Type B soil is an angle of 45 degrees or 1:1 from toe to top. The employer had not complied with the provisions of 29 CFR 1926.652 Subpart P, Appendix B, Table B 1.4, Excavations Made in Layered Soils. This condition exposed employees to a crushing hazard by excavation wall cave-in.