Be responsible and
make sure your crews
aren’t digging their
own graves.
IN GREENWICH, CT, a 59-year-old
groundskeeper installing a drainage
pipe in a trench at a country club
died after a portion of the trench collapsed. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) inspectors
found that the walls of the 6-ft.-deep
trench had not been shored, sloped or
otherwise protected against collapse.
The country club paid $20,250 for
seven violations of OSHA standards.
In Reno, NV, a 20-year-old man and
his 39-year-old co-worker died following the collapse of a 12-ft.-deep trench
at a golf course. OSHA investigators
found a number of safety violations,
including lack of a protective system to
prevent a cave-in, inadequate means of
access or egress, failure by the employer
to require head protection, and failure
to adequately train employees in the
recognition of hazards. Among those
the 39-year-old worker left behind
were three children, ages 12 to 15.
These deaths are among the many
that occur each year in trenching and
excavation cave-ins throughout the
United States. Landscape contractors
and grounds maintenance employers whose workers are engaged in
trenching and excavation activities
must ensure proper training and safety
precautions are in place.
TALES
FROM THE
T R E N C H
BY BARBARA MULHERN AND T.J. LENTZ
PHOTOS BY: MART Y WHITFORD
Industry at risk
The landscape services industry is a
high hazard industry. A single traumatic injury or death can put a small
company out of business. According to
a National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) fact sheet,
titled “Fatal Injuries Among Landscape
Services Workers” (NIOSH Publication No. 2008-144), workers in the
landscape services industry make up less
than 1% of the total U.S. workforce
— yet they experience approximately
3.5% of all of the occupational fatalities.
In addition to potential OSHA
investigations and legal fees, a traumatic injury or fatality will result in
increased insurance premiums; downtime; lost management and administrative time; the need to recruit, train
and replace workers; poor employee
morale; and even the potential loss of
good customers.
Trenching hazards
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
data show that 271 workers died in
trenching or excavation cave-ins from
2000 through 2006. (See “Deaths
from Trenching or Excavation Cave-ins,” next page.) A review of multiple
national databases by NIOSH researchers found that trenching and excavation
hazards during construction activities
