Abstract

On November 3, 2003, a 38-year-old male construction laborer died when the unprotected 8-foot high walls of the trench he was working in collapsed. The decedent was working for a subcontractor who was contracted by a construction company to remove old gas, storm and sanitary sewer lines and install similar new lines. The old abandoned 6-inch diameter gas line was a high pressure, 300 – 320 psi gas line in 10-inch steel casing and was 600 feet long. There were five employees at the job site employed by the subcontractor; a foreman who was a certified competent person, a lab technician who was a certified competent person, and 3 laborers (one of which was the decedent). The foreman had dug an 8-foot deep trench with a track hoe to expose the abandoned gas line. After the gas line was exposed, the 38-year-old laborer climbed into the trench with a saw to cut through the gas pipe and its casing. The sides of the trench were not shored or benched. As the laborer began sawing, the sides of the trench collapsed, burying him. He was declared dead at the scene by the local coroner.

To prevent further occurrences of a similar occupational fatality, the following recommendations have been made:

Recommendation No. 1: Employers and employees should not take shortcuts.

Recommendation No. 2: Employers should train employees on safe work practices and how to recognize and avoid unsafe work conditions.

Recommendation No. 3: Employers should train employees working in excavations on use of appropriate protective equipment.

Document Type

Report

Release Date

11-5-2004

Incident Number

03KY107

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