Trench cave-ins remain a lethal hazard on construction sites, with 250 workers losing their lives over the past decade due to preventable collapses. Despite clear regulations, many employers continue to neglect safety protocols, often resulting in tragic consequences.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced that 22 workers died in trench-related deaths in the first six months of 2022, easily topping 15 for all of 2021.
Earlier this week, no further than 30 miles from where I am writing this article, an excavation company working on a utility construction project had a trench collapse on two of their workers with one of those crew members losing their life.