Trenching & Excavation Accidents #6
updated on 05/06/2010
UPDATE OSHA: Lack Of Shoring Could Have Contributed To Deadly Cave-In
May 2, 2003
OKLAHOMA CITY — A man died Thursday when he was trapped for more than an hour underground after a cave-in at a construction site in the western part of the city. Marvin Young, 30, was helping connect a new sewer line to the city sewer line in a 12-foot-deep, 6-foot-wide ditch about 1 1/2 miles south of Interstate 40. Young was in the trench when it started to cave in about 11 a.m., said Maj. Brian Stanaland, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Fire Department. “He jumped to another area and was completely buried over his head, about 9- to 10-feet deep,” Stanaland said. Rescuers reached Young’s body about 12:15 p.m., but were unable to remove it from the trench for several hours, Stanaland said. Workers used hand shovels and could only remove 5-pound buckets of dirt at a time or risk another collapse, Stanaland said. Young’s body was removed from the ditch about 3:30 p.m. Ron Watkins, a safety specialist for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said that large of a trench should have some kind of shoring. “At this moment, it looks like there was none,” Watkins said. Dirt samples removed from the ditch will be analyzed, he said. Young was part of a crew from HMS Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning that was installing the sewer line for a building under construction, Stanaland said.
Construction Cave In
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Tense moments at a local construction site,as rescue workers are called to assist an injured man. A contruction worker was rescued from a trench after a cave-in at a construction site this morning. The site was located near north St. Louis and Zora Avenue in Joplin. Med flight airlifted the injured worker to St. John`s Regional Medical Center in Joplin after he was rescued by local firefighters. Officials say a 15 foot trench collapsed around the worker just after 8 this morning. The construction crew was installing a sewer line for a new housing addition when the accident happened. “While they were doing some excavation one of the workers stepped outside of the trench box which is a box that helps protect against any fall down and the side of the trench actually collapsed in on him,”said Steve Lea, Joplin Fire Department. Authorities say a trench collapse in our area with the type of soil found here, can exert up to 700 pounds per square inch of pressure. Officials say the worker was in quite a bit of pain after being rescued, but his exact condition is not know at this time. Reported By: Jim Jackson
TRENCH COLLAPSE
Thursday, May 01, 2003
A construction worker is dead, after a trench collapsed on top of him. The accident happened about eleven this morning in Oklahoma City, just South of Interstate Forty. The construction crew was working to connect two sewer lines. When the twelve foot trench he was working in collapsed. 30 Year old Marvin Young had been buried by nine to ten feet of dirt. Crews worked for nearly an hour trying to reach him. But by the time they pulled him out, he was dead. The accident will be investigated.
Construction workers buried alive
Posted Wed, 30 Apr 2003
The bodies of two construction workers who died after they were buried under tons of rock, sand and clay when the trench they were digging collapsed, were recovered by rescue workers on Wednesday afternoon. The men were part of a 20-man team laying stormwater pipes for a new shopping centre in Okavango Road in Kraaifontein when the accident happened around noon. Metro rescue spokesman Dr Hitesh Bhoola, who was on the scene, said rescue workers including the fire department and construction workers had dug away furiously to reach the two men but their efforts were in vain. Bhoola said the identities of the two workers, whose bodies were being taken to the mortuary, would only be released once their families had been notified. “This incident now becomes a crime scene because the workers died an unnatural death,” Bhoola said.
UPDATE Firm has history of violations; Safety officials investigate accident scene
By SYDNEY B. LEAVENS Monitor staff
PEMBROKE – The Pembroke-based company that employed the construction worker who died last Friday afternoon in an excavating accident has been cited for more than 40 violations of federal worker safety standards over the past decade. Randy Twombly, 39, of Deerfield was killed Friday afternoon when the excavator he was operating on F.L. Merrill Construction Inc.’s North Pembroke Road sand pit tipped and rolled down into the ditch below, landing on the roof and crushing the cab. Twombly had worked for the company for two years. Mine Safety and Health Administration officials were on the scene yesterday investigating the cause of the accident. Twombly’s death was the first the construction company has reported in at least 10 years. (Companies are required to report to inspectors fatalities or accidents in which three or more workers are injured; F.L. Merrill Construction has reported neither.) But during that time, the company was cited for violating safety codes at its roadside sites as well as its gravel and sand pits, according to inspections conducted by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, both divisions of the U.S. Department of Labor. F.L. Merrill Construction has received 28 citations from the Mine Safety and Health Administration for its two Merrimack gravel pits since 1998, the first year for which records are available. Three 2003 violations are still pending. Between 1994 and 2000, OSHA found 17 violations at the company’s roadside excavation sites, at least nine of which officials called “serious,” or likely to cause injuries that would require more than on-the-job first-aid care, from partial disabilities to death. The Pembroke company has paid about $38,000 in fines since 1994, the two administrations’ records indicate. Company officials could not be reached for comment. F.L. Merrill Construction’s long record of violations is not necessarily unusual for an excavating company, said David May, OSHA’s area director. Because construction has a higher injury and fatality rate than other lines of work, government officials inspect construction companies more than most. “Just being in construction creates more of an opportunity for violation if (the company) is not paying attention,” May said. Excavation, one of the more dangerous types of construction, is under particularly close scrutiny, May added. Under a special excavation program, inspectors are required to stop and inspect any excavation sites that are at least five feet deep and do not look adequately secured. As a result, many of the excavation companies the administration inspects are cited for violations, May said. (In all, inspectors find some violations at about 70 percent of all sites, he said). F.L. Merrill Construction has paid about $3,500 for the 28 violations at its sand and gravel pits. Those violations included, in 2000 and last December, failing to correct defects to safety equipment in a “timely manner to prevent creation of a hazard to persons.” The company was cited in both 2000 and 2001 for not properly guarding machines so that workers did not come in contact with moving parts. (Mine Safety and Health Administration could not be reached yesterday to comment on the particular circumstances of each citation.) At roadside excavation sites, OSHA inspectors fined the company on several occasions for inadequately protecting its workers. In 1998, for example, inspectors found that a trench in which two F.L. Merrill Construction employees worked was not shored against the collapse of its walls. Initially, inspectors alleged that the company had prior knowledge of the violation and proposed a $35,000 fine. But on reviewing the matter with company officials, however, they determined the offense, though serious, was not willful and settled on a $2,550 fine. F.L. Merrill Construction has not been cited – or inspected – by OSHA since 2000. Twombly’s is the seventh death nationwide to take place on the job at a sand or gravel pit this year, according to the Mine Safety Health Administration’s Web site. Inspectors hope to conclude their investigation of the accident this week.
Gas Line Capped at Evacuated School
Web Editor: Sean Rowe Last Modified: 4/29/2003 11:13:48 AM
A ruptured gas line that forced the evacuation of Redan Elementary School Tuesday morning has since been capped. Students and school staff should be able to return to the building by noon, according to DeKalb Schools spokesman Spencer Ragsdale. Students were temporarily taken to New Covenant Ministries, located less than a mile away from the school. DeKalb fire Lt. Eric Jackson said a contractor working in the area struck and broke the line. Authorities have not reported any injuries due to the accident. More details as they become available.
Worker falls into trench
Firemen pulled an unidentified Asian worker to safety and rushed him to the Adan Hospital after he allegedly slipped and fell into a 15-meter deep trench in Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad Area. A medical source at Adan Hospital was quoted by Al-Qabas daily as saying the condition of the worker, who is seriously injured, is stable.
Downtown gas leak leads to evacuation
April 16, 2003 By Jeremy Craig Staff Writer
A gas-line breach on Ellis Street on Tuesday morning caused the evacuation of an entire downtown block, including more than 300 pupils at Curtis Baptist School. Emergency workers responded to the accident, caused when construction crews on Ellis Street hit the gas line at about 11 a.m., said Battalion Chief J.E. Clark, of the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department. No one was injured, he said.
Plumbing subcontractor rescued from trench
By JENNIFER DONATELLI Staff Writer
A Glen Burnie man was trapped for about three hours yesterday when a trench he was helping to dig in north county partially collapsed. Antonio Loverde, 23, a subcontractor for Linthicum Plumbing, was pulled from the hole after a coordinated effort by scores of emergency workers who flocked to the scene. Mr. Loverde was taken to the Shock-Trauma Center at University Hospital in Baltimore as a precaution. He was in fair condition this morning. Paramedics said he suffered injuries to his right hip, thigh and ankle. He also sustained injuries related to the compression in the trench and exposure to the cold, said Division Chief John Scholz, a county Fire Department spokesman. Despite yesterday’s relatively warm weather, moisture in the soil could have caused hypothermia. Mr. Loverde and Chris Milan, who both work for Suburban Contracting Co. of Kingsville, were repairing the sewer line at the home of Jennifer and Jeff Hodges at 311 Cheddington Road in Linthicum. They had dug a trench measuring 16 feet long, 4 or 5 feet wide and 8 feet deep in some parts, and had removed the shoring to find the gas line when it collapsed, Mr. Milan said. “We walked to the edge of the hole to see what our next move was and the bank gave way,” he said. Linthicum Plumbing owner Timothy Young said this was the first time something like this has happened in his company’s history. The workers followed all the procedures for inserting shoring, or a trench box, in the hole, he said. Firefighters and paramedics from Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, as well as the Howard County Special Operations Unit, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration and surgeons from Shock-Trauma’s Go Team arrived to help Mr. Loverde, who was trapped up to his thighs and was conscious. Rescue personnel inserted large boards into the trench to shore up the walls. Emergency personnel blocked off Cheddington Road because they were concerned about vehicles causing vibrations and disrupting the trench more, Chief Scholz said. With darkening clouds and sporadic rain, they also were concerned about any moisture that could have hindered the rescue, he said. Rescuers also pumped heat into the trench – moisture in the soil could have caused hypothermia – and oxygen to help Mr. Loverde breathe and an intravenous line, Chief Scholz said. Mr. Loverde also was at risk for crush syndrome, which Chief Scholz described as what happens when toxins build up because of a lack of circulation. When the circulation returns suddenly, septic contaminants could course through the body rapidly, he said. Mr. Loverde’s fiancee, Kristina Miller, and his brother, Phil, looked on anxiously as rescue efforts progressed. “I’m just hoping he’s all right,” Ms. Miller said. Rescuers finally pulled him out using a basket at 4:50 p.m., to the applause of dozens of residents of Crestwood, a neighborhood of about 200 homes. OSHA officials will handle the investigation of what happened.
Gas leak forces elementary school evacuation
By JEANNA CUNY , Staff writer 04/23/2003
About 750 students from Wyatt Elementary School at 8900 Coit Road were evacuated Tuesday morning after a gas leak in the area. ‘The kids looked on it as an adventure and we made the best of it,” Principal Nancy Roberts said. “I think our system worked quite well in keeping all the kids safe. That’s our No. 1 priority.” Plano Fire Department officials received a report of a gas odor at 10:02 a.m. The leak occurred when workers damaged a 3-inch gas main on the southwest corner of McDermott and Gifford, while doing construction work on the McDermott Road Church of Christ building, 200 yards east of Wyatt Elementary, she said. Officials with the Oncor gas company were notified of the damage and were on the scene to repair the line. “When our crews went to the school, Plano ISD maintenance officials had already initiated evacuation of the school,” said Fire Department spokeswoman Monique Cardwell. s a precautionary measure, elementary school students, teachers, parents and administrators walked to Rice Middle School at 8500 Gifford until the area was declared safe at 11:17 a.m., she said. No other buildings were evacuated as a result of the accident, Cardwell said. Students returned to class about 12:30 p.m., district spokeswoman Nancy Long said.
Gas explosion levels home, Nicor employee injured
April 23, 2003 — A construction accident in Blue Island led to an explosion that destroyed one home and damaged at least two others. There are reports that one person was injured. Officials say Nicor was called to the scene after workers struck a gas line in the area. The explosion occurred just after they arrived in the 3100-block of 141st Street in Blue Island. A Nicor worker was reportedly injured in the explosion. His condition is not known at this time.
Battle to save man trapped in mud
Emergency services are battling to rescue a workman trapped in 6ft of mud after a trench collapsed on him. The man, in his 50s, had climbed into the trench he and colleagues had been digging only for the sides to fall in, Gwent Police said. “The sides appear to have collapsed on him, burying him in a depth of 6ft of mud,” a spokesman added. About 30 firefighters are at the scene in Malthouse Road, Llantarnam, Cwmbran, and an ambulance is standing by to take the man to hospital if necessary. The man was working for Bristol-based contractors MJ O’Connor Ltd when the accident happened shortly after 4pm. Firefighters began trying to extricate him shortly before 6pm.
Trench collapse kills construction worker
09/04/2003 – 12:17:31 pm
An Italian man has died after a trench collapsed on top of him at a construction site near Ennis, Co Clare, this morning. The man was working on a Bord Gais pipeline in Clarecastle at the time of the accident. Health and safety officials have been notified and gardai are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
UPDATE Company Cited For Alleged Willful Violation In Trench Collapse Federal OSHA issues citations for cave-in that buried workers
SAN FRANCISCO — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Lompoc-based excavation company for serious and willful violations of federal safety standards following an investigation into the death of an employee when a trench collapsed. R. Williams Construction Company received three citations dated March 17, 2003, that carry proposed penalties of $91,000, for violating federal laws which require specific precautions to prevent cave-ins. The federal OSHA investigation of R. Williams was prompted by the Sept. 19, 2002 death of an employee working at the Chumash Casino Project near Santa Ynez. The employee was working at the bottom of a 70-foot long, ten-foot deep trench being prepared for a new sewer line. The employee and a co-worker were buried when the trench collapsed on top of them. The co-worker was rescued quickly, and survived with serious injuries. The violations are particularly egregious because the employer was hired based upon its expertise with underground construction. “OSHA excavation and trenching standards clearly state what safeguards must be in place to protect workers in this type of construction,” said Chris Lee, OSHA deputy regional administrator in San Francisco. “This employer knowingly placed workers at significant risk by failing to take the most basic precautions against trench collapse.” According to OSHA investigators, several workers claimed the employer asked them to sign a statement that they had received training in trenching work when, in fact, they had not. The workers also reported that the statement was in English although some employees, including the injured employee, could not speak, read or write English. R Williams received a citation for one alleged willful violation, with penalties of $70,000, for failing to comply with requirements that trench walls be sloped at an angle of no more than 34 degrees. According to OSHA investigators, the trench that failed had vertical walls from the bottom of the excavation to a height of about five feet, and then sloped back from the trench at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The company received a citation for three alleged serious violations, with fines of $7,000 each. The alleged serious violations were failure to provide a stairway, ramp or other means of escape; failure to have a qualified person inspect the excavation and all protective systems on an ongoing basis during the work shift; and for not instructing employees in how to spot and avoid unsafe conditions in the hazardous excavation environment. R. Williams also received a citation for a single violation, without penalty, for failing to protect workers from being injured by lose rock or soil falling into the excavation. The company 15 working days from the date of the citations to submit an appeal. OSHA is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses and protecting America’s workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
UPDATE State fines Grand Ledge company
Lansing State Journal
The state has ordered a Grand Ledge construction company to pay $5,100 in fines after a trench accident in January killed a Portland man. The state Department of Consumer and Industry Services’ Bureau of Safety and Regulation cited Precision Plumbing for four serious violations under construction safety standards. The company must pay and correct the problems. It can appeal within 15 days. Arthur Krass, 43, was trapped 15 feet below ground when a ditch’s dirt walls collapsed while he was installing plumbing at a home under construction in a Holt subdivision. Neither Krass’ family nor the company could be reached for comment Thursday. The violations are: No accident prevention program was developed, maintained or coordinated with employees. Fine: $1,050 No ladder or other type of proper access or egress was provided to employees. Fine: $1,050 The excavation was not properly sloped for safely making a sewer and water tap. Fine: $1,500 Precision failed to report the death of an employee within the required eight hours. Fine: $1,500
Worker’s Leg Caught In Trenching Equipment
Friday April 04, 2003 1:53pm
Oklahoma City (AP) – A man suffered serious injuries this morning when his leg became caught in a trencher in Oklahoma City. The man’s name was not immediately released. Fire Major Brian Stanaland says the man was working to install a conduit for underground electrical lines at a construction site. Stanaland says the man’s leg became caught in the digging chain nearly up to his thigh. Stanaland says rescuers unbolted the belts to the chain and cut through a safety bar to free the man’s leg.
Cedartown man killed in construction accident
04/03/03 By Matt Tuck, Copy Editor
A 25-year-old Cedartown resident was fatally injured in a construction accident on Monday, March 31. The Cedartown Fire Department reported that the victim, Joaquin T. Domingo, was part of the construction crew charged with widening US 27. At approximately 2:27 p.m., members of Bruce Albea Contracting of Rockmart were burying what is being called “large water runoff pipes.” Fire Department officials said that normally when installing the pipes, one of the workers will stand inside the section as it is being placed into the ground. A Track Hoe is then used to position the pipe after the worker is at a safe distance. It is believed that Domingo was guiding the section of pipe as it was lowered, but was not out of harm’s way before the Track Hoe was used. “The Hitachi EX230LC operator was backing the machine after pipe alignment,” the report said. “He was given the ‘all clear.’” No one was aware that Domingo was still in the pipe when the “bucket” or “scoop” of the Track Hoe was lowered into the work site. The ictim was accidentally struck across the head and upper body. EMS and police officials were quickly on the scene. When they arrived, Domingo was lying unconscious in the trench with severe head injuries. Sgt. Joy Nolen said that the victim was breathing when EMS officials arrived. “We secured the area and directed traffic,” she said. “Pretty much, we got out of the way and allowed emergency personnel to work on [Domingo].” Initially, Nolen said, a helicopter was dispatched to the accident scene; emergency officials soon felt it was too late. “We secured the Kroger parking lot for a Life Flight, but it was cancelled,” the officer stated. Domingo was later pronounced dead.
Gas Fumes Float Into Local School, Students Hospitalized; Trench Collapse Damaged Gas Line Near Building
CINCINNATI — Several children were hospitalized after natural gas fumes wafted into a local school Thursday afternoon. Five students at White Oak Middle School on Jessup Road in Green Township were taken to local hospitals just after noon after complaining of illness, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. The gas fumes were traced to a construction site near the school. A spokesman for Cinergy said that a trench collapsed at the site and damaged a gas main. The school’s principal said that the windy, warm weather prompted some teachers to open classroom windows Thursday afternoon, and the wind blew the fumes into the school. Cinergy shut off the gas flow to the line, leaving about nearby 15 homes without power. Crews from Cinergy checked out the school, but no leaks were found in the building. Additional details are not available. Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and refresh your ChannelCincinnati.com page for updates.
Landslide kills road worker
HANAYAMA, Miyagi — A worker died and another was injured after being hit by a landslide during road repair works here Tuesday morning, police said. At around 9:50 a.m., a landslide occurred along the Honsawaaki Dori street in Hanayama where road repair works were under way and buried a man and a woman working at the site, police said. One of them, Mitsuo Honda, 56, died after being rushed to hospital with serious injuries. The other, 61-year-old Satako Sato, suffered serious injuries but her condition is not life threatening, police said. (Mainichi Shimbun, March 25, 2003)
UPDATE Trenching Fatality at a Denham Springs, La., Worksite Brings OSHA Citations Alleging Willful Violations Of Safety Standards
DALLAS — A Watson, La., homebuilder’s alleged failure to protect employees from a trench cave-in that allegedly caused the death of one employee has resulted in proposed penalties of $76,750 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Atlas Corp. was cited with two alleged willful and four alleged serious safety violations following an OSHA inspection that began Jan. 7 after a trenching fatality that occurred at the company’s worksite in Denham Springs, La. The company, which employs about 21 workers, was installing sewer pipes in a developing subdivision. The alleged willful violations were for failing to protect employees working inside trenches from cave-ins and failing to properly slope or shore trenches and take appropriate action when a cave-in hazard is recognized. A willful violation is defined as an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The alleged serious violations were issued for failure to perform daily excavation inspections, failure to provide trained personnel in first aid response, and failure to instruct employees on how to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions. A serious violation is one that could cause death or serious physical harm to employees from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the Baton Rouge area director, or to contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Employers and employees with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call the Baton Rouge OSHA area office at (225) 298-5458. Or, OSHA’s toll-free hotline number may be used to report workplace accidents, fatalities, or situations posing imminent danger to workers. The number is 1-800-321-6742. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America’s workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
UPDATE Contractor fined $50,000 for death of worker
A CONTRACTOR has been fined the maximum $50,000 for causing the death of a worker through a worksite soil slide last December. Chinese national Tian Zhi Kuan, 35, was buried waist-deep in soil when the side of a 2.9m-deep excavation collapsed suddenly. He died in hospital from multiple injuries. Caravelle Construction and Development, the main contractor at the Jalan Bukit Merah worksite, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to failing to provide adequate piling and bracing against the side of an excavation that was more than 1.5m deep. The contractor was also fined $10,000 for failing to place excavated material at least 61cm away from the edge of the excavation. The court heard that Mr Tian and a co-worker were trimming the side of the excavation with shovels on Dec 4 last year, when the soil from the side slid down suddenly and trapped Mr Tian. Caravelle had been awarded a Housing Board contract for major upgrading works at the site, and it had sub-contracted the building of a multi-storey carpark to IRE Corporation, Mr Tian’s employer. Investigations showed that at the time of the accident, the sides of the excavation were not protected by shorings, bracings or pilings to prevent the soil from collapsing on the workers who were inside. Also, excavated soil was placed too close to the edge, which could have resulted in soil falling on the workers. The Ministry of Manpower yesterday reminded factory occupiers and contractors to ensure the safety of employees working inside an excavation. It added that it would take legal action against any factory occupier or contractor found flouting safety rules.
Contractor fined S$50,000 under Factories Act for death of worker
A contractor, Caravelle Construction and Development Pte Ltd, pleaded guilty in court on March 18 for causing the death of a worker under the Factories Act. The Manpower Ministry says the contractor was fined the maximum penalty of S$50,000 for failing to provide adequate piling against the side of an excavation of more than 1.5m deep. Workers were exposed to the hazard of falling or sliding materials from the excavation’s side. The contractor was also fined a further S$10,000 for failing to place excavated material at least 610mm back from the edge of the excavation. The accident happened in December last year.
Worker electrocuted after hitting power line
Associated Press
Published March 21, 2003 ELEC22
KENOSHA, Wis. — A man was electrocuted and a co-worker was hurt when they hit a buried power line while sinking a well. The 20-year-old Union Grove man was operating equipment for Hoover Well Drilling Co. Inc. when the gear touched the 4,800-volt power line Thursday morning in Trevor, authorities said. His name was not released. A 28-year-old co-worker suffered a shock while trying to help the victim. The co-worker was hospitalized in satisfactory condition late Thursday.
Vineyard collapses into tunnel at local winery; No one hurt in roof collapse at winery under construction near La Honda
By Marion Softky Almanac Staff Writer
A peaceful Friday afternoon in the hills above La Honda. A big explosion, followed by a roar. And a large patch of baby vineyard sinks into the ground, where miners were excavating a tunnel for a new winery 25 feet below. No one was hurt in the failure of the ceiling of one of three tunnels that workers are drilling 300 feet into the greening hills. The tunnels will house the Clos de la Tech winery, being built by T.J. Rodgers and Valeta Massey of Woodside, whose stated goal is to produce the best pinot noir in the world. “I panicked,” admitted Ms. Massey, who is directing the excavation. Then the miners told her this type of accident is not unusual in mining, she said. They foresaw it and took precautions. As the miners were drilling the 34-foot-wide central tunnel into the hillside, occasionally dynamiting basalt, they encountered a large boulder wedged into the ceiling of the tunnel. “They call it a widow-maker,” Ms. Massey said. To remove the rock, workers used a piece of dynamite, and withdrew from the tnnel, as required by state and federal regulations. Ms. Massey explained. The explosion broke the rock and allowed the loose soil above the hole to pour through the hole into the tunnel. The process is like an hour glass plugged in the neck, Ms. Massey explained. When you remove the plug, the sand runs down. The result was a sink hole up to 30 feet in diameter, where the new vineyard, including about 100 newly planted grape vines, sank into the tunnel, which will some day house barrels of aging pinot noir. The project will be delayed about two weeks to allow workers to remove the soil and shore up the roof, Ms. Massey said. The owners notified state and federal agencies that oversee mining, and San Mateo County, which approved the grading permit. “This is tunneling, and that sort of thing happens,” said Terry Burnes, planning administrator for San Mateo County. “They followed procedures. No people or equipment were in there. “When all is said and done, no one will know the difference.”
Victim of Overland Park construction accident identified
The Kansas City Star
A worker who died Monday when a trench collapsed at 129th Place and Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, was identified today as Samuel Mera, 29. Mera, who lived in Kansas City, Kan., was waterproofing the foundation of a town house that was under construction when a wall of earth caved in. Rescuers think the man died immediately when the earth slammed him against the concrete foundation. Two other workers who were in the trench escaped. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration began investigating the accident Tuesday.
Trench Collapse Kills 1 Person; 2 Workers Taken To Hospital
5:18 p.m. CST March 17, 2003
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Emergency crews responded to a trench collapse that killed one person Monday. The collapse was reported around 2 p.m. near 129th Place and Metcalf Avenue. Crews were working on basement foundations for a new townhome in the Deer Creek Reserve subdivision, KMBC’s Bob Werly reported. Three workers were preparing to waterproof the foundation when one of the trench walls gave way. Crews immediately began working to shore up the collapsed wall, and the Overland Park Fire Department was called to the scene. Emergency crews found a worker who was buried in dirt up to his knees. The worker apparently died of a head injury, Werly said. “It appears that there was part of the shore, the ditch, approx 10 to 15 feet long gave way, and pretty much slammed him up against the concrete basement wall,” said chief Dennis Meyers of the Overland Park Fire Department. Two other workers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Werly reported.
Gas line rupture sickens 21 at Lemon Grove school
By Mark Arner UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 15, 2003
Nineteen children and two adult workers from a Catholic school in Lemon Grove suffered minor respiratory problems yesterday after construction workers severed a nearby natural gas line. The accident at 11:45 a.m. prompted evacuation of St. John of the Cross Catholic School on Lemon Grove Way, which has 422 students in preschool through eighth grade. It also halted natural gas service to 20 homes for an hour before it was restored by San Diego Gas and Electric, a utility spokeswoman said. Kaiser Zion and Alvarado hospitals in San Diego and Sharp Grossmont hospital in La Mesa treated 16 children and one adult for minor respiratory problems ranging from headaches and dizziness to nausea. Representatives of the hospitals said they expected to release all the patients last night in good condition. It was not known immediately where the other three children and adult received treatment. The accident was being investigated by SDG&E yesterday, and it was not clear if the gas line had been properly identified on a utility map. The line was severed by J. Fletcher Creamer and Sons, a contractor hired by Helix Water District to install a 10-inch water main near the school, said Helix General Manager Mark Weston. Sister Marilupe Mier-y-Teran, a school spokeswoman, praised adults from the school and neighborhood, who quickly moved students away from the gas leak. “Thank you to every single adult who helped,” Sister Marilupe said. “They all did an excellent job.”
Accident traps man in mud two hours
By PEGGY O’HARE Houston Chronicle
A man was trapped chest-high in mud for more than two hours Friday before firefighters freed him. Robert Sauseda, 55, of Bryan was taken from the southeast Houston construction site where the accident occurred to Memorial Hermann Hospital. He was listed in good condition later Friday. Sauseda was trapped after the ground gave way while he and other workers were measuring grades and elevations for pipes to be installed around underground storage tanks at a new Shell station at Reed Road near the South Freeway. Despite his predicament, Sauseda remained calm throughout the ordeal. The accident happened at 1 p.m., when Sauseda stepped back and the ground caved in beneath him, trapping one of his legs. The situation soon became desperate as he continued sinking in the mud. “At first, it was just one leg stuck in sand. I ran to get some boards to help him out,” said Sauseda’s nephew Joe Samarrippas, 39, who was also working at the construction site. But Sauseda could not budge from the wet sand — then the underground tanks gave way and began to roll, his nephew said. Fortunately, the tanks rolled away from the trapped man. “If the tanks had rolled toward him, it probably would have sucked him under,” said Samarrippas. After calling 911, Samarrippas, also of Bryan, threw a chain down to his flailing uncle and hooked one end of it up to a truck so the man would not sink any farther. Because Sauseda was only 50 to 75 feet away from Reed Road, emergency officials diverted traffic to keep the ground from shifting even more. About 35 firefighters used ladders, ropes and a life preserver to free the man and gave him an oxygen mask to wear during the ordeal. They pulled him to safety around 3:15 p.m. and loaded him into an ambulance. Emergency personnel said Sauseda appeared to have suffered no major injuries, his nephew said. Sauseda was expected to be kept overnight at the hospital for observation.
Midlands excavation collapse kills worker
A construction worker employed by Westbury Homes on a housing development in Leicester Road, Brownsover near Rugby, has died as a result of an accident. The man was buried at the bottom of a four-metre deep drainage excavation. A fellow worker tried frantically to dig him free but to no avail, emergency services later recovered his body.
Hot Springs Accident Kills One
Story by News 4 Arkansas Posted 3/5/2003 12:02:54 PM
A construction worker is dead after a trench collapse. It happened about 10:45 AM Wednesday in downtown Hot Springs at the construction site for the new district court. Hot Springs police say there was a heating and air conditioning trench in front of the building site that collapsed. Two workers fell in. One got out, the other died. The men worked for a heating and air company out of Benton. We have a crew on the scene and will bring you the latest tonight on News 4 Arkansas at 5:00 and 6:00. Watch KARK News 4 for more on this story!
Gas leak a near disaster
By KYLIE MUNRO AND KRISTY GRANT
Workers and shoppers were evacuated after the accident. Public school, workers told to clear the area. A MAJOR gas leak in central Albury yesterday forced the evacuation of Olive St and kept emergency services in overdrive for two hours. More than 15 businesses and Albury Public School were evacuated as clouds of gas erupted from a burst pipe on the footpath between Baker Motors and the school about 1pm. The pipe was ruptured when a Wagga drilling company, contracted to lay cabling for Telstra, hit the pipe with a horizontal boring machine. Police and fire authorities sealed off the Dean St and Smollett St entrances to the accident site as fears of an explosion grew. Traffic was diverted past Dean St from Kiewa St and Country Energy reacted quickly by turning off the electricity supply to the affected area. Country Energy also temporarily suspended service to surrounding residential areas as a safety precaution. Fire officials ordered mobile phones, two-way radios and anything that could emit a spark to be shut down. Albury Central fire brigade station officer, Mr John Todd, said the leak had the potential to create a disaster. He said fire crews saw dust billowing into the air from a high-powered gas vapour cloud at the scene. “A 450kpa high pressure main had been hit and to avoid a possible explosion we had to use fob nozzles to disperse the gas,” Mr Todd said. “Anything that could throw a spark was switched off and we began to monitor the lowest levels of explosive gas. “We know that when the level of gas in the air drops to a certain level then it cannot explode.” Mr Todd said the situation worsened after gas seeped into electrical conduit cables and tracked to the opposite side of Olive St. Origin Energy spokeswoman Ms Justine Leadbetter said it took workers 33 minutes to fix the problem. “Workers repaired the pipeline and made sure there was no threat of a further leak before declaring the area safe,” Ms Leadbetter said. “The incident was reported promptly to Origin Energy by the contractor who struck the gas line, which made fixing it a lot easier. “We would like to thank everyone that was involved for their co-operation and communication in making sure that the incident was handled as quickly and efficiently as it was.” A spokesman for the Wagga Directional Drilling Company said it was an unfortunate accident. He said the company had followed plans outlining the locations of each gas line but the one they hit had not been marked. “We just didnt know it was there,” he said. Telstra Country Wide area manager for the Riverina Mr Andrew Cottrill said industrial work plans were generated by an agency, Dial Before You Dig, which gathered the locations of cabling, gas and water pipes from authorities.
UPDATE Midlands company fined in deaths of two workers
(Columbia) March 3, 2003 – A construction company has been fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an accident that killed two workers, 15 and 16-years-old. Rigo Beto Xaca Sandoval and Moises Xaca Sandoval died on January 28th when a trench collapsed at the future site of the Blythewood High School. OSHA fined Burriss Electric more than $42,000 for violating six safety violations. The violations included workers not wearing helmets and not having a competent person on site to inspect the trench.
UPDATE BURIED ALIVE IN JAIL TRENCH Feb 27 2003
A WORKMAN was buried alive when he fell in a 10ft deep trench inside a jail, a court heard yesterday. Dougie Tindal, 52, of Arbroath, was dead before he could be hauled clear. Morrison Construction, of Edinburgh, face three charges of breaching Health and Safety regulations over the accident in Friarton Prison, Perth, in October 2000. Glasgow-based BD&G Projects and English firm TPS Consult also face charges. The trial continues.
UPDATE Family members bitter over death of E.P. man in trench collapse
Russ Olivo February 26, 2003
WOONSOCKET — Walter “Gig” Gorski lived long enough to name his daughter, but not to see her born. Gorski, 33, is the man who died Friday in the collapse of a sewer trench on Ballou Street. Police are asking the attorney general to consider criminal charges in the matter because Gorski’s employer allegedly violated state safety guidelines on the job, despite repeated warnings. Gorski’s wife, Kyleen, is seven months pregnant with the East Providence couple’s first child, Mrs. Gorksi said Monday. The child, whom they had named Emily, is due on May 12. “I’m extremely furious over what’s been taken away from me and my family,” Kyleen Gorski said. “I’m angry that we waited so long for this baby and he will never know her.” Kyleen, 28, and other members of her family said they have hired a lawyer to look into the possibility of filing a wrongful-death suit against Walter Gorski’s employer, Mr. Rooter. Police said the company is owned by Don Lapierre of Cranston, who did not return repeated telephone calls for comment on this story. “We know there’s nothing we can do for Gig anymore,” said Jane Roy, Kyleen’s mother. “We have to protect Kyleen and the baby.” Gorski had worked as a laborer for Mr. Rooter for about four months after 10 years with Slater Print Works in Pawtucket, family members said. Shortly after noon on Friday, police said, Gorski was working in a trench with his immediate supervisor, Shaun Rodrigues, also of East Providence, in front of the Ballou Home for the Aged, 60 Mendon Road, when he was killed. The Ballou Home had hired Mr. Rooter to excavate a sewer pipe leading from the nursing home to the main pipe in the street after problems with the plumbing a day earlier. Rodrigues had also hired a private backhoe operator to dig the trench. The crew had reached a depth of 12 feet, officials said, when the sides began tumbling in on Gorski and Rodrigues, who were both inside the hole. Rodrigues escaped and tried to dig out Gorski manually with the backhoe operator, Henry Whitford, who jumped off the vehicle to help. At one point, Whitford returned to the backhoe and tried using the bucket to remove a couple of scoops of soil and rocks from the roughly 25-by-5-foot hole — to no avail. The state medical examiner ruled Monday that Gorski had died of “asphyxia due to obstruction of (the) airway and body compression.” The ruling essentially confirmed what officials had suspected Friday when they said he had been buried alive, dying of suffocation and the crushing of his body. Officials say he probably died very quickly. Clad in his brown jumpsuit, Gorski’s lifeless body was finally lifted from the hole by firefighters nearly six hours after the recovery effort began. Most of the time was devoted to locating a wood-and-steel brace to shore up the hole and prevent it from collapsing on recovery workers as they dug out the victim. After the rescue, public works officials and police said Mr. Rooter was in violation of a state law requiring such a brace — they called it a “box” — for trenches deeper than 6 feet. At the scene, Administration/Public Works Director Michael A. Annarummo said the company had been warned “twice, possibly three times” to abide by the regulation before the city OK’d the work, calling Gorski’s death “a needless, needless tragedy.” In an interview at their home on Farnum Street Monday, Gorski’s relatives said they are so angry at Lapierre that they have refused to let him in their house and have forbidden him from coming to Gorski’s wake on Thursday, at the Barrett Funeral Home in Warwick. Her husband talked about digging trenches as backbreaking work, but she never realized it was so dangerous, she said.”He’d do anything to support his family,” she said. Kyleen, who would have celebrated her third year of marriage in May, learned only a few weeks ago that she was having a girl. In anticipation of the baby, they had begun remodeling one of the rooms in the tidy ranch home in Riverside that she and Gorski bought from her parents recently. Kyleen called her doctor on Friday, worried about the impact of the emotional trauma on her pregnancy. Her doctor told her to check herself into the hospital at the slightest sign of trouble, and a cousin who is a nurse will be nearby during the wake and the funeral. She’s doing fine so far, with support from family and friends. “Walter would have wanted me to be strong for the baby,” she said. Besides his wife and future baby, Gorski, who grew up between two sets of fraternal twins, leaves three sisters and a brother, family members said.
Mysterious Fumes
An investigation is underway to determine what caused a Fresno construction crew to become sick while digging a ditch. The men were installing a sewer line at Elm and North Tuesday morning when they were overcome by fumes. The intersection is open, but early Tuesday police blocked off about a two-mile area for several hours as a precaution. There were no evacuations. Now, investigators want to know what made the workers so sick they had to be taken to the hospital. Heavy machinery sat in the position workers left it. The six-man crew was installing a sewer line at the intersection of Elm and North when they all started feeling ill. Matthew Waite, a working at the scene, recalled what happened, “We just came through a line and it started smelling real bad and everyone started feeling sick.” The workers thought the nausea would pass, so they waited an hour before reporting the incident. But, the sick feeling didn’t go away. Soon, a hazardous material crew arrived on the scene. Paramedics checked out each of the workers. They were then put in a tent and decontaminated as a precaution. Five men were taken to UMC by ambulance. Firefighters, armed with protective gear, oxygen, and high tech equipment, gathered samples of dirt and water from the ditch. Early analysis shows the men came in contact with a substance similar to benzene, a highly flammable gas. More tests need to be done before they know an exact cause. Investigators say it’s not uncommon for crews to experience unusual smells when doing this kind of work. It will be another day before a cause can be determined. Investigators say the gas could have come from a previous fuel spill or an underground storage tank. All of the workers are now recuperating at home.
Gas line break prompts closing of Enterprise Road
By JEANNINE GAGE STAFF WRITER Last updated: Feb 24, 10:52 PM
ORANGE CITY — Calling a gas main break Monday morning an “explosion hazard,” officials closed a busy stretch of Enterprise Road south of Saxon Boulevard and prepared to evacuate a day-care center nearby. Workers for Progress Energy were removing a utility pole on the east side of the roadway when they hit the gas main at about 9:30 a.m., authorities said. Orange City firefighters responded, donning masks to protect themselves from the fumes, and immediately began applying a water stream to dissipate the gas. Fire and police officials blocked off the area from Saxon to Commed Boulevard. Traffic was routed through Glen Abbey for at least 90 minutes. “There is an explosion hazard,” Orange City Fire Department Captain Herb Hoffman said at the scene. “We’re evacuating the day-care center just so we don’t take any chances.” But moments after Hoffman made that decision, gas workers arrived and turned off the main gas valve . “We have over 27,000 square feet here, so we moved the children to the back of the building,” said Virginia Sutthoff, director of Child’s World of Learning. “Then we were told we didn’t have to evacuate.” A few parents picked up their children and several called but, for the most part, it was a normal day for the 120 2- to 5-year-olds, Sutthoff said. Florida Public Utilities Co. spokeswoman Laura Scotten said the break caused seven homes in the Fawn Ridge subdivision to lose gas service, but she expected it to be restored by Monday evening. Electricity service was not affected. An ambulance responded as a precaution, said EVAC ambulance spokesman Mark O’Keefe. No one was injured.
Police investigate construction worker’s death
Donna Kenny Kirwan February 24, 2003
EAST PROVIDENCE — A 33-year-old East Providence man was killed Friday when the sides of a ditch he was working in outside a Woonsocket nursing home collapsed and buried him with dirt and construction debris. According to Woonsocket Police, Walter R. Gorski was helping to fix a clogged sewer pipe with aco-worker at the Ballou Home on Mendon Road when the accident occurred shortly after noon.Gorski’s employer, Mr. Rooter Plumbing and Heating, of Warwick, had been hired to do the work. According to reports, Gorski and the co-worker, identified as Shaun Rodriguez, 30, of Riverdale, were inside the 12-foot hole when a backhoe operator watching the scene from above warned them that the sides were crumbling. Rodrigues reportedly was about to climb out after hearing the warning when the cave-in occurred. Rodrigues told police he was buried up to his knees, and saw that Gorski, working at the opposite end of the hole, was nearly covered by the debris.Rodrigues said that he managed to free himself and that he and the backhoe operator tried to free Gorski but were unable to, police said. More than 30 rescue workers responded to the scene, including firefighters from Providence and North Providence. It took rescue workers nearly six hours to remove Gorski’s body. The job was especially difficult because the hole had to be reinforced to prevent further collapse, according to police.After several hours, workers placed a metal box into the hole to shore up the walls so firefighters could enter the hole. According to published reports, Woonsocket’s director of public works said the plumbing company workers had been warned by city officials to reinforce the hole with a metal box if they dug deeper than 6 feet.Police said the incident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the findings will be turned over to the Attorney General’s office. After Gorski’s body was removed from the hole, around 6:30 p.m., it was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Providence. Gorski’s family could not be reached for comment and funeral arrangements are unknown at this time.
MARION MAN SLIGHTLY HURT AFTER TRENCH WALL CAVES IN WHILE REPLACING WATERLINE
BY TIM PETROWICH THE SOUTHERN [Fri Feb 21 2003]
MARION — A city water department worker from Marion was injured Friday morning when the wall of a trench collapsed on him. Clifford Hogue Jr. was taken to Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion after suffering a broken wrist. Marion water commissioner Robert “Dog” Connell said that Hogue and five other workers were digging trenches to lay a new 12-inch waterline along Skyline Drive north of Illinois 13. The project involves replacing the current 4-inch waterline that feeds the General Dynamics facility. “We are replacing the line because they need additional fire protection capabilities,” Connell said. “The project has been going for a couple of weeks.” Hogue was down in the trench when the side wall caved in, hitting him in the legs. The force of the collapse knocked him into the opposite wall and when he attempted to brace himself against the fall is when he believes he broke his wrist. “He said it popped when he hit the other side,” Connell said. Workers quickly pulled Hogue from the trench without any additional injury. No other workers were injured in the incident. Connell said that Hogue was never stuck in the trench, nor was his life in danger at any time.
Worker pinned by wall 2 hours
John Stark, The Bellingham Herald
A young construction worker was pinned by the arm for about two hours Wednesday morning when a concrete retaining wall collapsed behind a house at 336 N. Forest St. Christopher J. Valeri, 20, was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital with a crushing injury to his right arm. A hospital spokesman described his condition as stable. Two co-workers on the home-remodeling job who declined to be identified said Valeri was digging in the small space between the rear of the home and the retaining wall when the wall toppled and trapped him. A Bellingham Fire Department rescue team arrived and determined that Valeri’s injuries were not life-threatening, spokesman Corry Morris said. But firefighters feared that a hasty attempt to extricate Valeri could trigger a new collapse of the steep slope behind the house, or even the house itself. Morris said the heavy concrete slab slammed into the rear wall of the three-story house, buckling it inward. Firefighters waited while other workers at the site improvised some supports to reduce the danger of the house collapsing, and a city engineer inspected that work before firefighters began the rescue job in earnest. North Garden Street, above the accident scene, was blocked to traffic while the rescue was under way, because firefighters feared that the vibration of passing vehicles could send more dirt falling onto them and Valeri. While the painstaking work proceeded, Morris said Valeri was given painkillers. At about 11:30 a.m., firefighters deployed heavy-duty air bags that can be filled with compressed air to support many tons of weight. The bags were used to hold up the wall so Valeri could be pulled free. The two workers at the scene said they were employed by Seymour and Sons, a firm that buys houses and refurbishes them for resale. Attempts to reach a company representative for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday. One of the workers said Valeri would probably have been killed if the wall had fallen on top of him. “Luckily, it was just his arm,” he said.
Firefighters rescue injured construction worker
By: JUDY PACK, Citizen staff February 19, 2003
Local volunteer firefighters traded their bunker gear for ropes and pulleys Friday to rescue an injured construction worker at the bottom of a hole estimated to be 20 feet deep. “The injured man was an employee of a contractor developing some apartments at the intersection of Crenshaw and Beltway 8,” Dewey Irvin, assistant fire chief for the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department, said. The construction crew was in the process of boring a hole under Beltway 8 when a piece of pipe being lowered into the hole struck the man in the head, leaving him trapped inside the hole. When emergency crews arrived, he was alert and conscious. “Because the man had suffered head trauma and had an injured shoulder, it was a major ordeal to send six firefighters and two emergency medical technicians into the hole to start an IV and put him on a backboard,” Irvin said. Eight more firemen were above ground at the same time, rigging up the pulleys to raise the injured man out of the hole using a stokes basket, he said. Once the rescue was completed, he was transported to the Medical Center in Houston by Life Flight. His injuries were not life-threatening, but any type of head trauma is automatically transported to one of two trauma centers in Houston. Both Ben Taub and Memorial Hermann Hospitals are equipped to treat injuries that cannot be detected by emergency personnel. “We had some heavy-duty equipment at the scene and two ambulance crews because we weren’t quite sure what we were dealing with when the first call to 9-1-1 was received,” he said.
Worker Caught In Cave-In In South Oklahoma City; Injuries Do Not Appear Life-Threatening
February 18, 2003
OKLAHOMA CITY — A construction worker on the Interstate 35 widening project escaped serious injury after being caught in a cave-in this morning in southeast Oklahoma City. The man’s name and age were not immediately available. Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said the man was working to remove water from a trench on a service road alongside I-35 when the trench began collapsing. Stanaland said the man was able to run to an incline at the end of the trench and was trapped up to his waist about 10 feet below ground level. “The situation was that they deemed it safe enough and entered the hole and dug him out by hand,” Stanaland said. “He was out very quickly.” Firefighters dug the man out within 20 minutes of the accident, Stanaland said. Stanaland said the man suffered possible fractured legs, but no injuries that appeared life-threatening.
BURIED ALIVE:CEMETERY RESCUE
BY FRANK C. MONTAGNE
At 0835 hours on a clear June morning, North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire & Rescue received an alarm for 5800 Tonnelle Avenue, the Machpelah Cemetery. The alarm stated a worker was trapped in a grave. A rescue task force consisting of Ladder 1, Squad 1, Ladder 3, Engine 10, Battalion 3, Deputy 1, and a safety officer was dispatched. (Ladder 1 is in the process of being trained and equipped as a technical rescue company.) I was first to arrive on the scene and was frantically waved in by the police. What I saw next was astonishing! A grave worker was buried and trapped by several tons of dirt and granite tombstones in a hole seven feet deep and roughly 10 feet across in all directions. I established command and provided the initial size-up and radio report to dispatch. Immediately, additional resources were called: EMS, Engine 6, and mutual-aid companies from the Jersey City Fire Department. Heavy rains had blanketed the area the night before, contributing to the collapse of the saturated soil. Two workers using a backhoe were excavating an existing gravesite for an additional family burial. One worker went into the hole after the backhoe completed its digging to square off the sides; no shoring was in place. While he was digging, the walls of the hole collapsed onto him. Tons of dirt and several granite headstones, base stones, and footing stones pinned the victim to the grave floor. He was conscious but groaning in agony. We realized at that time that there was a language barrier, so a translator was provided to comfort the victim and determine the extent of his injuries.
Gas Line Break Forces School Evacuation
PANHANDLE — Construction workers frantically try to mend a pipe broken by machinery. Within minutes of the leak, highly flammable gas had engulfed the school and homes that sit just yards away. City manager Loren Brand said, “I knew we could smell gas as far as the other side of the football field.” Detection tests show vapors hadn’t entered the school, but any ignition outside would have caused an immediate explosion. That’s why officials were instructed to walk — not drive — the kids away from the school. “That was a concern that it would collect or get contained in like a hallway, a doorway, something of that nature. It could also be under a group of cars that were parked together,” said Brand. Teachers and students admit it was a successful evacuation despite the seriousness of the situation. “If it had really been something, they would have told you to leave everything as is, you know, don’t turn anything off, but they did tell us to turn everything down and let’s go ahead and leave so I knew at that oint we needed to just get out,” said Panhandle Middle School teacher Pennie Ward. So, now all that remains is figuring out why workers felt so free to dig as deep as they did. “It’s just going to take an investigation of to what actually took place. Was there a miscommunication, or was there a misunderstanding, or was it just a pure accident that happened. I don’t know,” said Brand. As soon as Atmos Energy found out about the situation, they quickly shut off the system. City officials are confident most of gas had dissapated within a few hours. They say they’re thankful the wind today was blowing north on Tuesday, otherwise, the entire city might have been engulfed by the leak. The city’s was attempting to widen the highway leading from Panhandle to Borger. Contractors are only a few weeks into a project scheduled to last almost 16 months. They say as long as the leak is contained, construction will continue, but they admit workers will be a lot more careful with the machinery. City officials say all Panhand schools will start at the normal time Wednesday morning.
Worker Dies in Trench Collapse
Tracey Christensen 2/12/2003 12:32:12 PM
A construction worker died late Tuesday morning after a trench caved in on him in Walton County. Officials say he was not buried alive but likely was killed when he was hit by falling debris. It took three hours for rescue crews to dig him out. Monroe police investigator Diane Campbell says the man had been working on roadside sewer line, near Highway 11, when the 10-foot deep trench collapsed. Monroe police officials were investigating the accident, as well as officials from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. OSHA officials said the contracted company — Harrison and Harrison Incorporated — did not have a record of violating safety regulations. The worker has not been identified.
Kerala: One killed, 4 hurt in construction site accident
6-February-2003
Thiruvananthapuram: One person is feared dead and four people have been injured in an accident at a construction site in the Overbridge locality of Thiruvananthapuram city. The dead has been identified as Ganesan (28), a native of West Bengal. The injured have been admitted to the Medical College Hospital. The accident occurred at 12:30 pm today when soil caved in at the site where work was on to remove earth for the foundation of a building. The workers were employed by a contractor who had taken up contract for removing soil. All the workers are reportedly from Bengal. Search and rescue operations have been launched by the police and fire force.
UPDATE Employer Cleared In Accidental Deaths
Blythewood, S.C. — South Carolina officials say they won’t press charges in the deaths of two teenage boys, who were killed in a workplace accident last week. The brothers died on Tuesday when an eight-foot trench they were digging at a new school collapsed. Investigators say both boys gave their employer valid green cards with incorrect birth dates. The two claimed they were in their twenties, though they were actually just 15 and 16 years old, respectively. State law prohibits people younger than 18 from working on construction sites.
Gas line rupture forces evacuation of Bloomington buildings; Construction crew hit line; firefighters called to 3rd incident this year
by Adam VanOsdol Indiana Daily Student Published Tuesday, February 4, 2003
A construction crew digging at the parking garage on the corner of Sixth and Morton streets ruptured a natural gas line Monday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of area businesses and the Monroe County Justice building. The Bloomington Fire Department said there was little danger posed by the rupture but closed off the surrounding city block while workers scrambled to shut off the pipe. The leaking gas sailed north and drifted into open windows at the Monroe County Justice Building down the street, causing nausea and dizziness to those in the building. Except for the 227 inmates, everyone inside was evacuated and went home early. In the end though, the wind actually did more to control the situation, Vectren Energy Company supervisor Mel Williams said. Monday’s stiff breeze quickly dissipated the leaking gas, defusing the potentially explosive situation. “Oh, we’re glad for the weather,” Williams said. “The wind helped more than anything.” An hour after the accident, Vectren workers had successfully blocked the leakage. Fire Department Captain Tim Richards said the city block between Sixth and Seventh streets and Walnut and Morton streets was shut down mainly to keep repair workers safe from traffic. The rupture, which was in a low-pressure line, would have been more worrisome if it had been high pressure, Richards said. “It wasn’t that bad,” Richards said. “It was outdoors, and it was a low pressure line.” The rupture disrupted local business for an hour, but owners didn’t seem too bothered. Firefighters who went around to area businesses to check for gas accumulation forced the employees of Little Zagreb’s Pizza to evacuate. Manager Mark Conlin said he couldn’t do prep work as a result. And owner of the Yellow Cab Company John McNeeley said, “It was an honest mistake.” At the nearby law office of Kelley, Belcher and Brown, bookkeeper Deena Anderson was preparing billing statements when she smelled gas coming in from an open window. When firefighters arrived, they told her she didn’t have to leave, but she did anyway. “They said we weren’t in danger,” Anderson said. “One of our bosses told us to go home.” Williams said he could not comment on the amount of gas that leaked, the cost or whether the pipe was marked. Bloomington Fire Department Captain Roger Kerr said the pipe was unmarked. By 4 p.m. the Justice Building was unusually silent. The only person who stuck around was security guard Don Bennitt, who kept busy by telling confused people that the building was closed for the day. Monroe County resident Charles Bomgardner knocked on the locked door at 4:15 p.m., expecting to pay a small claims fine. Bennitt told him everyone had gone home. “I work the rest of the week,” a frustrated Bomgardner said. “It’s going to be very difficult for me to come back.” Ruptured gas lines have become a common incident for Bloomington’s Fire Department. This is the third since the beginning of the year, Batallian Chief Terry Williams said. “Gas is a scary thing,” he said.
OSHA begins investigation of fatal construction accident
By PAUL MEYER , Staff writer 02/05/2003
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun its investigation into the death of a construction worker killed Monday afternoon along Spring Creek Parkway when the trench he was working in flooded with water and collapsed. Fort Worth resident Adrian Gutierrez, 22, was working in a 10-foot-deep trench when he apparently tapped into a pressurized city water main and became trapped for at least 30 minutes under water. Gutierrez was an employee of Irving-based JCM Contracting Co., hired to work on a city road-widening project along Spring Creek Parkway. “He was tapping into the city water main, and when he released the cap, the pressure was not off,” Fire Department spokeswoman Monique Cardwell said. “The water shot back at him and filled the trench with water. “Because he was under water and it was so cold, once we got him out, we did initiate resuscitation efforts before transporting him to Presbyterian Hospital.” Fire officials received the call for help at 3:14 p.m., arriving at the intersection of Spring Creek Parkway and Communications Parkway at 3:20 p.m., according to Cardwell. Another worker in the trench managed to escape and suffered only minor leg injuries. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital and released. Kathryn Delaney, OSHA’s area director, said Tuesday that the investigation into the worker’s death will include a systematic look into both the physical circumstances and the employer’s safety record. “On these matters we do not merely look at the physical conditions and circumstances,” Delaney said. “We plan to study the employer’s safety programs, training, and conduct a systematic investigation of the situation.” Delaney, however, refused to speculate on the cause of the accident. “It’s unfair to the family of the victim to speculate at this point about the cause or causes,” Delaney said. “I anticipate it will be at least two months before the investigation is complete.” City Engineer Alan Upchurch, who supervises contracting work throughout the city, said Tuesday that the worker was part of the road project to widen Spring Creek Parkway. Weir Brothers is the listed general contractor for the project, according to Upchurch. Officials with the company did not return calls for comment. “What occurred was a tragedy with the death of the construction worker who was working on a road widening project along Spring Creek,” Upchurch said. “I’m sure there will be some investigating to determine what went wrong, but at this point in time it appears the contractor made a mistake in determining whether the water was shut off.” Typically, Upchurch said, contractors will call the city Water Department to confirm that water in a construction area has been shut off. It was not known if that protocol was followed Monday. “We will typically hold preconstruction conferences before work starts to go over a list of things that need to be done,” Upchurch said. Monday’s events were the second time in recent memory a construction worker has been killed in the city while working on a project. It was over two years ago that a worker was killed near 2600 Central Expressway after the trench he was working in collapsed.
UPDATE Illinois man had his doubts about surviving cave-in
By Terry Hillig Post-Dispatch 01/30/2003 09:26 PM
The man who was buried for 20 minutes when a trench collapsed Monday in Bethalto says he wasn’t sure he would make it out alive. “It was wet,” Wes Smith, 19, said in an interview. “There was water in the ditch. I thought it was 3 or 4 inches from my chin.” As soon as the 17-foot trench collapsed, five or six of Smith’s co-workers at Design Excavating of Edwardsville began frantically digging. They were joined by eight or nine volunteer Bethalto firefighters. “I knew they would try their best to get me out,” Smith said of his rescuers. “I knew they wouldn’t give up but I’m sure glad I made it, though. I’m just grateful to them big time.” An air pocket around Smith’s face may have saved him from suffocation. But there was considerable pressure on his chest and it was increasingly difficult to breathe as the minutes passed, he said. Smith was part of a crew installing sewer lines at the Patriot’s Crossing subdivision. Smith suffered bruises and a partly collapsed lung but returned to his home in Girard, Ill., 65 miles north of St. Louis, after spending Monday night at St. Louis University Hospital. He said Wednesday that he was “still sore all over” but knew he was very fortunate. Smith said he had worked for the company for four or five months. He said he liked the job and planned to return to work after Feb. 7 but wonders whether he will feel safe working in a trench. Bethalto Fire Chief John Nolte said Monday that Smith was working without any safety precautions, in apparent violation of federal regulations for sloping or shoring or use of a trench box for work in trenches 4 feet or greater in depth. Robert Plummer, owner of Design Excavating, said the company emphasizes safety and said he was “sick” about the accident but relieved that Smith’s injuries were not more serious. “It’s just really fortunate,” Plummer said. “He is really a nice young man. We look forward to him being back.” The accident is being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Work site cave-in kills two brothers; Trench collapse at future Blythewood High is under investigation
By LORA HINES Staff Writer
Two brothers died Tuesday in a torrent of dirt that poured into a trench where they were working at the Blythewood High School construction site. Rigobeto Xaca Sandoval, 22, and Moises Xaca Sandoval, 22, both of 1515 Busbee Road, Gaston, probably died instantly, their skulls crushed by the soil that buried them, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said. They were in what appeared to be an 8-foot-deep, 2-foot-wide trench, he said. The brothers were identified by resident alien cards, Watts said. He did not recall their nationality. They recently had moved in with a couple in a mobile home in Gaston in Lexington County. Before that they had lived in the town of Denmark, officials said. Neighbor Calvin Brown, 34, said they had lived there about two weeks. The brothers spoke little, if any, English, Brown said. The Latino friend they lived with, who would not give his name, said he was overwhelmed by the tragic cave-in. “They were good people,” he said tearfully in Spanish. Someone at the site called for help about 8:20 a.m. as construction workers scrambled to dig the brothers out. By the time rescuers arrived the brothers had been uncovered, Watts said. At least 40 people were at the site working on different projects, said Ken Blackstone, Richland 2 School District spokesman. Crews started work about 7 a.m. The Xaca Sandovals were part of a Burriss Electrical crew that was installing an electrical conduit, Blackstone said. The trench for the conduit had been dug in a compacted area that will become the high school’s foundation. The soil is mostly sandy with some clay, Blackstone said. Burriss is one of six contractors at the site. No one from Burriss Electrical in Lexington could be reached. “The Burriss Electrical family of employees send out our prayers and condolences to the families involved in today’s tragic accident,” company officials said in a written statement. “We are still investigating the accident and are cooperating with authorities.” The state Occupational Safety and Heath Administration, part of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, is investigating, said LLR spokesman Jim Knight. Knight said the investigation could take six weeks. Investigators will interview employees and witnesses to determine what the Xaca Sandovals were doing when the trench collapsed, Knight said. Investigators also will examine equipment and look at how the task was being done to determine whether an OSHA standard had been violated. Construction will continue while investigators work, Knight said. For the last six months, crews have been preparing the site off U.S. 21 for construction, Blackstone said. A two-story, 390,000-square-foot building, costing about $50 million, should be ready for the start of school in 2005, school district officials said. “As early as we are in the construction phase, I don’t know that (the cave-in) will significantly alter the schedule,” Blackstone said. Burriss Electrical, which was awarded the contract to install electricity with a $3,043,400 bid, has been cited nine times in five planned inspections since January 2000, LLR records show. “They have not had an accident,” Knight said. “They have a clean record as far as accidents go with OSHA.” In August 2000, OSHA cited Burriss for failing to make daily inspections of excavations and protective systems to prevent cave-ins at a site at Stivers Chrysler Jeep Inc., 5215 Sunset Blvd., Lexington, LLR documents show. No one knowledgeable in soil analysis or trenching systems and analysis was on that site, records show. Burriss was not fined and the violation was not listed as serious because it involved a 4-feet deep trench, Knight said. OSHA regulates trenches 5 feet and deeper. Richland 2 school board chairman Bill McCracken said the board wants to console the victims’ families. “Our concern is to make sure we do whatever we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said. Staff writers Clif LeBlanc and Nicole Sweeney contributed to this article.
Worker, 19, is injured when trench collapses around him
By TERRY HILLIG Post-Dispatch 01/27/2003 10:30 PM
A 19-year-old worker survived being buried for about 20 minutes after a trench collapsed Monday morning in Bethalto. “It’s a wonder he wasn’t killed,” Bethalto Fire Chief John Nolte said of Wes Smith, who was flown by helicopter to St. Louis University Hospital after the rescue. Smith was working at the bottom of a trench when it collapsed about 9:30 a.m. He and three co-workers were installing sewers in Patriots’ Crossing, a subdivision being developed along Moreland Road about a mile north of Illinois Route 140. Nolte said Smith, of Girard, was working in a trench that appeared to be 18 to 20 feet deep without any shoring or other protection. Nolte said such protection was required for work in trenches deeper than shoulder height. The workers were joined by eight or nine Bethalto volunteer firefighters, and Nolte said they dug Smith out by hand, “one shovel at a time,” in about 20 minutes. The rescuers were themselves in substantial danger, he said. Smith told his rescuers he had worried about drowning because of rising ground water. Nolte said that loose soil around Smith’s face allowed him to breathe, and survive. “He’s a very lucky person,” the chief said. Smith was listed in fair condition later at the hospital. A spokeswoman said he had no life-threatening injuries and likely would be held for observation overnight and discharged today. Smith worked for Design Excavating of Edwardsville, owned by Robert Plummer. Plummer said Smith was in good shape when he visited the injured man in his hospital room Monday night. “He’s shook up, no doubt about it,” Plummer said. “But there’s no broken bones, and he was walking around.” Plummer wasn’t at the job site when Smith was injured and said he couldn’t comment on the details of the incident. “We stress safety, we stress making proper decisions,” he said. “We’re sick about this.” An investigator from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was dispatched to the site after OSHA personnel in Belleville learned of the mishap from a reporter. Peggy Zweer, OSHA director for 81 counties in Illinois, said the accident was not one that the employer was required to report. Zweber said federal regulations require sloping or shoring or other protection for work in trenches 4 feet or greater in depth.