Contractor Faces $72K Penalty After Worker Rescued from Trench Collapse

A contractor faces proposed penalties of $72,400 from the Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration after a worker was seriously injured in a trench collapse.

The 37-year-old worker was in a 10-foot-deep trench placing fiber-optic line May 31 in Portage when the cave-in occurred. A five-hour operation by emergency personnel rescued the worker from the collapse, and he had serious injuries.

According to MIOSHA, the worker was employed by International Inc. based in Southfield.

The agency issued the following violations:

(Note: A willful violation is when the employer either “knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement” or “acted with plain indifference to employee safety,” according to OSHA. “Serious” violations are defined by OSHA as existing “when the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation.”)

• Willful violation, $70,000 – inadequate cave-in protection.
• Serious violation, $2,100 – improper means of exiting the trench. The trench was required to have a ladder extending at least 3 feet above the top of the trench or a ramp. The access must be within 25 feet of workers in the trench
• Other violation, $300 – annual electronic submission of injury and illness information reports.

International is appealing the violations.

According to news reports of the incident, the worker was not fully covered in the collapse, and he was able to receive medical attention and hydration from emergency workers during the five-hour rescue operation. Such rescues are highly technical, requiring rescuers to first make sure the trench is safe from further collapse and to be careful not to cause collapse when extricating the worker.

Though not completely buried, workers whose lower extremities are trapped can suffer compartment syndrome, among other medical problems.

Compartment syndrome occurs when there is too much pressure around the muscles, restricting blood flow to muscles and nerves, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is extremely painful and can lead to permanent muscle damage, paralysis, even death.

Rescues in trench collapses are uncommon, as the heavy weight of the collapsing dirt often kills workers by crushing or by suffocation.