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| Crushing Cave-In Traps Worker in Trench |
The sight was enough to make three grown men cry. Their co-worker was chest-deep in mud and only a few inches from death.
Glen D. Rogers of Elsah, IL, said the trench cave-in at his worksite felt like an entire football team had piled on top of him. He couldn’t move and could barely breathe.
"I thought I was going to die…I just wanted to talk to my wife and kids."
Those were his desperate thoughts as co-workers and firefighters worked feverishly to save him.
Not long before that, Rogers, 34, was busily working in a trench to tap into a sewer line for a new house. He had just cleared off a section of pipe and began walking away when a contractor yelled that the trench was collapsing. Rogers looked behind him and then at his feet, which were buried in mud. Seconds later his legs disappeared, followed by his waist.
At one point, co-workers quickly jammed a couple of boards in the hole to offset the pressure that was crushing Rogers. Both Rogers and his wife believe this is what saved him from certain death.
"His co-workers basically saved his life. If they hadn’t done that (with the boards), he would be dead," said wife Audrey Stewart.
A grateful Stewart said all employees should receive some type of emergency rescue training.
For Rogers, the cave-in fortunately stopped at his chest, but with every breath he took, the dirt acted like a vice tightening around him.
Rogers instructed his co-workers to begin a rescue plan by digging a ditch on the other side of the trench he was in. When firefighters arrived, they continued the work.
"They dug down to my waist and the blood rushed back into my legs. I thought I had lost my legs because I looked down and they were flat."
The rescue took about four hours. Luckily, Rogers recovered quickly and was back on light duty a few days later.
Since the ordeal, Rogers and fellow workers have adopted a new sense of job safety by taking nothing for granted and always wearing their safety gear.
"I now find myself green again, being real cautious about where I walk", Rogers said.
Safety trainers tell us that they use the true stories found in Safety Smart to stress to their workers the importance of the safety meeting subject. Share this story with your crew before delivering your trenching safety talk. And remember, excavations are hazardous not only for the construction or utility crews who work in them, but for anyone in the area. Remind your workers to keep a safe distance from construction sites, and to keep their children away too.
Need access to additional resources on this topic? Try SafetySmart today and get immediate access to safety talks, presentations and more. Sign up for a free 14-day trial now. |
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| EKU's Online Bachelor's in Occupational Safety |
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| Earn Your Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety Completely Online with Eastern Kentucky University. This online degree program will equip you with the skills to handle personal and environmental risks within the workplace and teach you how to investigate, manage and prevent hazards and threats. EKU’s online program offers you the flexibility to maintain your current lifestyle while earning your bachelor’s degree.
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| An unprotected trench only a few feet deep can easily kill workers if one of its walls suddenly collapses. But clearly this unprotected excavation is more than a few feet deep. These workers could be in imminent danger. (Minnesota OSHA Best of the Worst) |
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| Building Owner Jailed Over Asbestos Hazard |
The former owner/operator of the Equitable Building in Des Moines, IA, has been sentenced to 41 months' imprisonment for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.
Bobby Joe Knapp, of West Des Moines, IA, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James E. Gritzner for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act and violating Clean Air Act asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of more than 10 floors of the building between 2005 and 2008.
Knapp admitted to failing to remove all regulated material containing asbestos from the building before starting renovations.
"Ignoring the safeguards put into place to protect workers and the public from the risk of exposure to asbestos is inexcusable," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "The sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and sends a strong warning to anyone thinking of cutting corners to save money at the expense of people’s health."
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Related news story: Asbestos Trainer Jailed for Fraud
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