According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an average of two workers are killed every single month as a result of trench collapses. There are many strict rules regarding trench safety, some of which employers do not always follow. When a trench cave-in occurs or other injuries happen due to trenches on construction sites, a New York workers’ compensation law firm should be consulted for help.
Trench Accidents Can Endanger New York Construction Workers
Recently, there was an incident in the Bronx that demonstrated the risks that construction workers face when performing their jobs on construction sites with trenches. The incident was reported by the New York Post.
The incident involved two construction workers becoming trapped within a trench on a construction site at Fish Avenue and Hicks Street in Williamsbridge. It is not clear exactly what happened with the trench, but the two workers were stuck 10 feet down under the ground.
Rescuers had to be called to the scene at approximately 5:00 PM. The rescue workers lowered a special type of stretcher, called a “Stokes basket,” down into the trench where the workers were trapped. Fortunately, the employees were able to be pulled out of the trench and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Many workers are not so lucky. OSHA indicates that trenches can put workers at risk due to cave-ins, which are “much more likely than other excavation-related accidents to result in worker fatalities.” The weight of a cubic yard of soil can be as much as the weight of a car, so when an employee is in a trench that collapses, the chances of the employee getting out alive are slim. Moving the soil to get the worker out of a collapsed trench can be difficult or impossible to do in a timely enough manner to save the employee, even if the worker is not crushed to death by the weight of the soil.
To try to prevent collapses, protective systems are required for any trench that is five feet in depth or greater, unless the trench is entirely made of stable rock. A competent person can determine a protective system is not necessary if the trench is less than five feet deep; however, if collapse is a possibility, then a protective system may still be required on shallower trenches.
If the trench is 20 feet or more in depth, the protective system has to be designed by a registered professional engineer or based on tabulated data that has been prepared by a registered professional engineer. These strict rules on trench safety aim to prevent deadly cave-ins, but unfortunately are not always followed.
Workers are also at risk of other trench-related injuries as well. OSHA identifies other risks to include falling loads; falls into trenches; accidents involving mobile equipment around trenches; and hazardous atmospheres.
If you were hurt in a trench collapse or if you lost a loved one due to problems with trenches on a construction worksite, contact Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff right away. Our attorneys can provide you with assistance in making a claim so you can get the just compensation you need and deserve.
