trenching hazards - Page 1

Employee injured in trench collapse; company cited

January 28, 2020

OSHA has cited Goose Lake Construction Inc. after an employee suffered serious injuries when an unprotected trench collapsed, burying him up to his waist at a Glencoe, Illinois, worksite. The agency proposed penalties of $233,377.

Mass. company owner going to jail in worker trench deaths

December 17, 2019

A company owner in Roslindale, Massachusetts was sentenced this week to two years in the House of Corrections after being found guilty of two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of two employees. Kevin Otto, owner of Atlantic Drain Services, will have three years’ probation following his sentence, and he can never again employ anyone in a job that involves excavation.

United Rentals participating in nationwide series of trench safety educational events

Eric Giguere - trench collapse survivor and safety awareness expert - to speak at multiple United Rentals Forums during Trench Safety Stand Down

June 11, 2019

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI) today announced it is participating in a nationwide series of trench safety educational events during the Trench Safety Stand Down, which takes place June 17-21. These events will help organizations and their workers advance knowledge about trench hazards and safe work practices in trenching and excavation work.

Worker in 17’ deep trench dies in collapse

December 13, 2018

Cal/OSHA has cited a Riverside, California construction company $66,000 for serious workplace safety violations that resulted in the death of a worker when a 17-foot-deep trench he was in collapsed. Cal/OSHA determined that Empire Equipment Services, Inc. did not properly classify the soil and failed to correctly slope the excavation.

Weekly news round-up

December 1, 2018

A blistering report on small farm safety, Samsung Electronics apologizes for work-related illnesses and a dire warning about the effects of climate change on human health. These were among the top occupational safety and health stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

Trench Safety Stand Down coming up June 18-23

Resources available to help companies hold stand down events

June 12, 2018

The National Utility Contractor Association (NUCA), the Safety Ambassadors Club and OSHA will hold a Trench Safety Stand Down June 18-23. Participating companies will take a break during the workday to have a toolbox talk or another safety activity to draw attention to the specific hazards related to working in and around trenches/excavations.

A Confined Space blog post

19 Year-Old worker killed in Baltimore trench

Jordan Barab

June 11, 2018

Nineteen years is a short life, but that’s all that Kyle Hancock of Glen Burnie, Maryland will get. Hancock died, buried alive earlier this week in a 15-foot unshored trench. Rescuers worked almost 12 hours through a long, rainy night trying to recover his body.

A Confined Space blog post

Weekly Toll: Nothing new on the workplace death front

Jordan Barab

May 9, 2018

The employee who died in a workplace accident Saturday morning at a chemical plant in North Carolina has been identified, according to WSOC. The victim, identified as 43-year-old Clint Miller, fell 10 feet into an open tank at about 4 a.m. during a loading operation while working at AkzoNobel in Salisbury. “He mixed compounds. He mixed chemicals,” said Clint’s mother, Sandy Miller.

Workers exposed to cave-in dangers: company fights violations

May 3, 2018

An excavation contractor that exposed its employees to trench cave-in and other hazards is contesting the violations issued to it by OSHA – along with the proposed penalties of $454,750. An OSHA investigation found that while performing work on two municipal water project sites in North Dakota, Kamphuis Pipeline Company failed to:

OSHA makes reducing trenching deaths a top priority

March 5, 2018

An alarming leap in excavation and trench-related fatalities has made reducing them an Agency Priority Goal for OSHA for 2018. The agency plans to accomplish this by increasing awareness of trenching hazards in construction, educating employers and workers on safe cave-in prevention solutions, and decreasing the number of trench collapses.