2014 Excavation Safety in

Review

Draft 4 30 2015

Criminal 2014

• US Marshalls take IL trenching contractor to jail.

• "A U.S. Marshall has taken an Illinois business owner into custody after the employer failed to correct serious trenching hazards and pay OSHA penalties.

• On Oct. 27, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion filed by Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez against the owner of Mike Neri Sewer & Water Contractor Inc., based in Elk Grove Village, Ill.

• This action followed the owner's long history of failing to comply with OSHA standards and orders of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

• In October 2013, the Court issued an enforcement order against Neri and when he failed to comply, the Court held Neri in contempt in July 2014 and threatened him with possible incarceration.

• Last week, after receiving no response from Neri, the Court granted the Secretary's motion to proceed with coercive actions, ordering the U.S. Marshal to place Neri in the custody of the Attorney General.

• Neri will remain in custody until a District or Magistrate Judge certifies to the Court that he has either fully complied with the Court's enforcement order or has demonstrated he is unable to comply.

Criminal 2014

• U.S. Sino Investment, its owner and a project manager were indicted Monday on involuntary manslaughter charges in the cave-in death of a construction worker at a Milpitas building site.

• Raul Zapata Mercado, 38, was killed January 28, 2012, after a 12-ft. wall of dirt collapsed on top of him

December 2014

• Three trapped.

• One took four hours to

rescue.

• Buried up to chest.

• Trench 8-10 feet deep.

December 2014

• Ontario CA

• 9 feet deep with spoil

at edge

• Successful rescue

November 2014

• OH Trench death.

• One box.

• 16-18 feet deep.

• Dirt caved-in and

buried 32 year old

employee.

November 2014

• Myersville MD

• 10 feet deep.

• Died of internal

injuries after being

buried up his waist.

October 2014

• Grosse Point MI

• Officials expect recovery work

to continue at least into this

evening.

• Workers are removing about

two-thirds of the roadway so

they can drop a protective

trench box into the hole as they

try to recover the body, which

is believed to be 16 to 18 feet

underground.

• Owner was killed.

October 2014

• Boontown, NJ

• 10 feet deep

• Two died

• “excavated for a

French drain”

Oct 2014

• Grove City PA

• Eight feet deep

• Buried up to chest

behind blue ladder

• 90 minutes to rescue.

August 2014

• TX

• Piringer said the

workers are trapped up

to their

waists/shoulders in

wet mud and both are

conscious and

breathing.

July 2014

• Fort Bragg NC

• 15 feet

• “The 22 year old was

trying to connect two

pieces of drainage

pipes when a rock or

large clump of dirt

knocked a wall loose”

• Tekton faces $123,200

in penalties

July 2014

• Aurora CO

• 14 feet deep.

• 4 feet wide.

• Successful rescue.

• $14,000 Willful

June 2014

FL. Death

The man was not working in the

hole but he was standing on an

excavator.

He jumped off into the edge of the

trench and the 20 foot deep trench

gave way.

He was covered in about a foot and

a half of dirt.

June 2014

• NC

• "The man was lowered

into the trench on a

bucket in a backhoe

before the walls

around him collapsed,

killing him."

June 2014

• VA

• 7 hour rescue

• Buried up to chest

• 20 feet deep

May 2014

• Windsor CT

• Danny King, 51, was

crushed between a

backhoe and trench

box while inside the

trench, his father, John

King, owner of the

Bloomfield

construction company,

said Friday

May 2014

• VA

• Rescue crews were called to a

construction site on the 400

block of N. George Mason

Drive around 3:30 p.m. for a

report of a large piece of

construction equipment that fell

on a person.

• The victim, believed to be the

equipment’s operator, was

pronounced dead on the scene

by medics at 3:40 p.m.

May 2014

• Worker buried up to

his waist in St. Louis.

• Broken sewer pipe.

Mar 2014• Cedar Hills OR

• Two workers from Apollo Excavation were

replacing a sewer line when dirt collapsed onto them.

• A third worker went in to help them and was buried.

• EMS workers helped uncover the face of a man who

was buried the deepest, so the man could breathe,

• The trench is about 15 feet deep.

Feb

2014

• VA

• "He was trapped up to his neck

and was starting to have

difficulty breathing when crews

quickly arrived and began their

rescue," says Frederick County

Fire Chief Denise Pouget

Purpose

• The excavation

standard is designed to

protect against cave-

in.

• Violation

• 13’ feet deep, Vertical

walls, type C soil,

undercutting walls

Competent Person

• Competent person

must inspect the

excavation. Visual and

manual test.

• Violation

• Excavation is

undercutting street and

front end loader only

adds weight

Training

• Workers must get

training prior to

working in the trench.

• What training is

covered?

Struck By Hazards

• Violation

• Worker under moving

bucket

Trench Boxes

• Violation

• This box only has one

horizontal brace across

each end.

Trench Boxes

• 1926.652 (g)(2):

Trench shields must

be within 2 feet of the

bottom of the trench.

• Incompliance

Sloping

• Type A ¾:1

• Exception for short

term duration under 24

hours.

• Violation

• 13’ deep vertical

• Note: swing radius

unprotected also

Sloping

• Jan 2006 – Worker

gets four ribs broken

• Type B Soil (must be

sloped at a 1:1)

• 8 foot side on left

collapses. 15 foot side

does not.

Trench Boxes

• Trench boxes must

extend 18 inches

above the grade or

bank.

Access and Egress

• Violation

• A ladder must be

available for access

into trench

Access

• What is the proper

access?

Egress

• Ladder or safe egress

must be available

within 25 feet of

travel.

• Violation

• 75’ long trench with

no ladder.

Egress

• Incompliance

• Ladder for use to get

out a box.

Hydraulic Shoring

• Violation

• No stability in this set

up.

Spoil Pile

• 1926.651 (j)(2):

Excavated material

must be kept a

minimum of 2 feet

from the edge.

• Violation.

• Spoil at edge.

Soil Classification

• Appendix A, section

(c)(2): The

classification of

deposits shall be made

on the results of least

one manual and one

visual analysis.

Soil Classification

• Soil is cracking due to

vibration from traffic.

Soil type was

classified as a Type C.

• Note: Vibration must

be able to be felt.

Power lines

• Equipment must stay

at least 10’ away from

power lines

• Violation

• This equipment got

within 5 feet of lower

power lines.

Swing Radius

• Violation: Excavator extends 42 inches beyond track. It is able to strike anyone walking by on this site.

• This is incompliance. Cones are used to warn people.

December 2014

Utilities

• 1926.651 (b)(2):

Utility companies

shall be contacted 24

hour prior to

excavation to establish

the location of

underground utilities.

• Violation. JULIE requires 48 hours

JULIE

• 48 Hours

• CALL 811 OR 1-800-

892-0123

to place a local request

Supporting Utilities

• Incompliance:

Existing storm sewer

pipe is supported with

chains.

Hard Hats

• Violation: No hard

hats worn despite

being only inches

away from the bucket.

Quick Disconnect

• Buckets are falling onto

employees

• Must have a pinned connection

if hydraulic fails that prevents

the bucket from falling.

7/14/2014 OSHA's inspection found that one of the employees sustained fatal

puncture wounds from the bucket after it disconnected from the excavator

and rolled into the trench from a height of about 4 feet.

Charts

Type A

Charts

Type C

Type B

49

Frequently Cited

#1 1926.652(a)(1)

• Protection from Cave-

in

• Many use double

stacked boxes when

over 10 feet.

#2 1926.651 (c)(2)

• Means of egress from

trench excavations. A

stairway, ladder, ramp or

other safe means of egress

shall be located in trench

excavations that are 4 feet

(1.22 m) or more in depth

so as to require no more

than 25 feet (7.62 m) of

lateral travel for

employees.

#3 1926.651(j)(2)

• Protection shall be provided by

placing and keeping such

materials or equipment at least

2 feet (.61 m) from the edge of

excavations, or by the use of

retaining devices that are

sufficient to prevent materials

or equipment from falling or

rolling into excavations, or by a

combination of both if

necessary.

#4 1926.651(k)(1)

• Daily inspections of

excavations, the

adjacent areas, and

protective systems

shall be made by a

competent person

#5 1926.651(k)(2)

• Where the competent person

finds evidence of a situation

that could result in a possible

cave-in, indications of failure of

protective systems, hazardous

atmospheres, or other hazardous

conditions, exposed employees

shall be removed from the

hazardous area until the

necessary precautions have

been taken to ensure their

safety.

#6 1926.651 (h)(1)

• Employees shall not

work in excavations in

which there is

accumulated water, or

in excavations in

which water is

accumulating,

#7 1926.651 (d)

• Exposure to vehicular

traffic. Employees

exposed to public

vehicular traffic shall be

provided with, and shall

wear, warning vests or

other suitable garments

marked with or made of

reflectorized or high-

visibility material.

#8 1926.651 (i)(3)

• Sidewalks, pavements and

structure shall not be

undermined unless a

support system or another

method of protection is

provided to protect

employees from the

possible collapse of such

structures.

#9 1926.651(j)(1)

• Adequate protection

shall be provided to

protect employees

from loose rock or soil

that could pose a

hazard by falling or

rolling from an

excavation face.

#10 1926.651(e)

• No employee shall be

permitted underneath

loads handled by

lifting or digging

equipment.

Summary

• Many contractors are

not putting in cave-in

protection for manhole

installations.

• Some companies have

the equipment to

protect against cave-in

but do not use it. Worker was hurt in a cave-in

when the excavation wall

collapsed into the box.

Exercise

• What is wrong here?

Quiz• Short term excavation is less than ___ hours

• Utility companies shall be contacted at least ___ hours

before digging

• Equipment must stay at least ____ feet away from

power lines

• Excavated material must be kept a minimum of ___ feet

from the edge.

• Ladder or safe egress must be available within ___ feet

of travel.

• Type ____ Soil should be sloped at a 1:1