The following is an example of a Texas work injury involving a trench collapse, and the work accident was followed up with an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
Worker Caught in a Trench Collapse Incurs Back Fractures
On September 8, 2017, an employee of Williams Ditching, LLC, in Amarillo, Texas, was allegedly seriously injured in a trench collapse. According to OSHA’s accident investigation summary, the employee was working on a sewer replacement project at an apartment complex. After working in a trench box, he was exiting when the soil collapsed around him. Emergency personnel went to the scene, and the injured employee was transported to the hospital.. The employee suffered from fractured vertebrae in his back and received treatment.
OSHA conducted an investigation after the trenching accident, and Williams Ditching was cited for three alleged serious OSHA violations and two alleged other-than-serious violations. One of the standards cited involved safety training and education. Another citation referred to specific excavation requirements, and a third standard was about requirements for protective systems. More details about the three citations follow. The initial proposed penalties totaled $45,270, an amount that has been reduced to $27,162. Current records show that the case is still open.
Safety Training and Education
It is the responsibility of the employer to instruct each employee in the ability to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions and the regulations that apply to his work environment for the purpose of controlling or eliminating any hazards or other threats to health and safety.
In the next segment, learn details about the other two citations issued to Williams Ditching for alleged OSHA violations.
See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and this continuing story to learn about more fatal trench collapses in Texas, details of a recent excavation accident, and some of OSHA’s safety standards for trenching and excavation.
–Guest Contributor
