U.S. sees rise in trench-related fatalities in 2022's first half
The number of trench-related deaths so far this year has already surpassed the total seen in 2021.
In June of this year, two workers died at a Jarrell, Texas, job site when the 20-foot deep trench they were working in collapsed. The trench shields, which could have saved their lives, sat unused beside the excavation site.
These were two of the 22 U.S. workers who died performing trenching and excavation work during the first half of 2022. In comparison, there were 15 trench-related deaths seen in all of 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported.
“Every one of these tragedies could have been prevented had employers complied with OSHA standards,” Assistant Secretary for OSHA Doug Parker said in a release. “There simply is no excuse for ignoring safety requirements to prevent trench collapses and cave-ins, and leaving families, friends and co-workers to grieve when the solutions are so well-understood.”
Due to the increase in fatalities, OSHA is stepping up oversight and launching enhanced enforcement initiatives nationwide. These activities will include putting more emphasis on how the agency evaluates penalties for trenching and excavation-related incidents, including criminal refers for trenching-related incidents.
OSHA reports its agents will conduct more than 1,000 trench inspections across the country.
“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is calling on all employers engaged in trenching and excavation activities to act immediately to ensure that required protections are fully in place every single time their employees step down into or work near a trench,” Parker said. “In a matter of seconds, workers can be crushed and buried under thousands of pounds of soil and rocks in an unsafe trench. The alarming increase in the number of workers needlessly dying and suffering serious injuries in trenching incidents must be stopped.”
OSHA offers free and confidential health and safety consulting for small- and medium-sized businesses and can assist these businesses in developing plans to address trench-related illnesses and injuries.
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