Ironworker Working in a Trench Dies When He Is Crushed by an Adjacent Retaining Wall That Fell on Him — California

Cierpich, Hank

doi:10.26616/NIOSHSFACE23CA003

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Ironworker Working in a Trench Dies When He Is Crushed by an Adjacent Retaining Wall That Fell on Him — California

2024/07/25
By Cierpich, Hank
Series: Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)

[PDF-964.96 KB]

English

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Details:

Personal Author:

Cierpich, Hank
Corporate Authors:

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch Less -
Description:

On June 7, 2023, a 49-year-old male Hispanic ironworker and three co-workers were working in a five-foot-deep trench preparing to install rebar for the foundation of a new perimeter wall. The new wall was being built adjacent to an existing cinderblock retaining wall on a neighboring property. The workers dug below the level of the base or footing of the adjacent retaining wall. Shoring was not in place and no bracing or underpinning was used to ensure the stability of the existing wall. The trench undermined the neighboring wall, which suddenly collapsed. The wall fell on the ironworker in the trench and crushed him to death. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - A hazard assessment was not conducted by a competent person; Lack of worker training on trench safety; Inadequate bracing of the adjacent wall. RECOMMENDATIONS - The California FACE (CA/FACE) investigator determined that, in order to prevent similar incidents, construction companies should: 1) Ensure that a competent person conducts daily hazard assessments of the trenching operation. 2) Ensure subcontractors and workers are properly supervised and trained in the hazards of working around unsupported masonry walls. 3) Ensure that bracing, shoring or underpinning are used to support adjacent walls that are potentially unstable.
Subjects:

[+]

Accidents, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
Keywords:

[+]

Accident Analysis Collapse Zones Construction Workers Excavations Fatalities Iron Workers NIOSH Region 9 Trenches Trenching
FACE - NIOSH and State:

All (0000) ; Construction (0005) ; Hispanic (0009) ; Foreign Born Workers (0022) ; Trenching (0034) ; ... More +

All (0000) ; Construction (0005) ; Hispanic (0009) ; Foreign Born Workers (0022) ; Trenching (0034) ; Construction (0038) Less -
Series:

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
Subseries:

State
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE23CA003
Publisher:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Document Type:

Text
Funding:

Cooperative Agreement
Genre:

Field Study
Place as Subject:

California
CIO:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Topic:

Workplace Safety & Health
Location:

North America
Pages in Document:

1-8
Contributor:

Harrison, Robert; Styles, Laura; Shor, Glenn
NIOSHTIC Number:

20070088
Citation:

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 23CA003, 2024 Jul; :1-8
Contact Point Address:

California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, P-3, Richmond, CA 94804
Federal Fiscal Year:

2024
Performing Organization:

California Department of Public Health
Peer Reviewed:

False
NAICS and SIC Codes:

23 - Construction - (NAICS 2022) ; 238910 - Site Preparation Contractors - (NAICS 2022)

23 - Construction - (NAICS 2022) ; 238910 - Site Preparation Contractors - (NAICS 2022) Less -
Start Date:

2005/07/01
Source Full Name:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
End Date:

2026/06/30
Resource Number:

FACE-23CA003
Collection(s):

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Main Document Checksum:

[+]

urn:sha-512:292a234bb9504c5eb5445ca498d015c04a1dacd44869bb68b39550d123ef48f5db580fe00a48154d8ad745d8425377f79a2b6940acc433f5b30ac125d37e32d3
Download URL:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164823/cdc_164823_DS1.pdf
File Type:

No Additional Files

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Ironworker Working in a Trench Dies When He Is Crushed by an Adjacent Retaining Wall That Fell on Him — California

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