Inspection Detail

Inspection: 107241192 - John Moore Construction

Inspection Information - Office: Boise Area Office

Investigation Summary

On the morning of May 3, 1995, Employee #1, an excavator, was digging up the sewer line to a single family home that Employee #2 was building on 6 to 7 feet of fill dirt. The line had been installed and covered, but, due to a miscalculation the vent ended up inside the foundation area. Employee #1 was digging up the line in order to move the vent, and was making a trench approximately 12 feet deep by 3 feet wide by 7 feet long. The walls were nearly vertical and not shored. The spoils pile was located on the edge of the trench and the ground was wet due to recent rains. When Employee #1 entered the trench to work on the line, the wall collapsed, trapping him under approximately 3 feet of dirt. Employee #2 jumped into the trench to rescue him and the wall collapsed again, trapping Employee #2 under another 3 feet of dirt. Both men died of asphyxia before they could be rescued. Employees #1 and #2 were sole owners, with no exposed employees.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, ASPHYXIATED, WORK RULES, SHORING, CAVE-IN, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, UNSTABLE SOIL, SLOPING