Worker Dies After Buried in Trench Collapse in Tennessee
The rescue became a recovery effort after the man was proclaimed dead on the scene.
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A worker died after being buried August 22 in a trench collapse in Cleveland, Tennessee.
The man was in a 9-foot-deep trench when the cave-in occurred at 1:15 p.m., and he became trapped. Emergency responders declared him dead and recovered his body hours later.
“Significant portions of his body were buried by soil in the collapse,” according to the Chattanooga Fire Department, which was among the responding agencies to the cave-in.
Co-workers had tried to rescue him but were unable.
“These kinds of responses are laborious for first responders as the trench needs to be stabilized and then debris removed in order to safely extricate the victim,” the Chattanooga Fire Department said.
The rescue attempt became a recovery operation involving the Cleveland Fire Department, the Chattanooga department and other agencies that are part of the Tri-State Mutual Aid Association.
The worker was employed by Dillard Construction, and Tennessee Occupational Safety & Health Administration is investigating, according to Local 3 News. The worker's name has not been released.
Dillard released the following statement to WDEF New 12:
“We are completely devastated by what occurred yesterday to one of our employees. We are fully committed to cooperating with the agencies that are investigating this tragedy. Our deepest thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with his family, friends and coworkers during this incredibly difficult time.”
2nd Trench Death Since 2023
Earlier this year, a Knoxville construction company was fined $74,650 after a worker died in a cave-in July 10, 2023.
Frank Culotta, 50, was shoveling gravel in the bottom of an unprotected trench in South Knox County that was about 10 feet deep when a side wall collapsed, covering him entirely and crushing him to death, according to TOSHA.
Design One Building Systems Inc. was cited with a willful violation for not providing adequate cave-in protection for the trench, such as a trench box. It was also cited with serious violations for not keeping spoil piles or equipment at least 2 feet away from the trench edge and not providing proper inspections of the trench before workers entered and throughout the day. There were also serious violations concerning head protection and safety training.
A willful violation is when “the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) 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.”
