Florida Man Crushed in Trench Collapse

April 4, 2002
Richard Allen King won't get the chance to celebrate his 22nd birthday next week. Instead, his family will bury him as OSHA begins an investigation into his death.

Richard Allen King won''t get the chance to celebrate his 22nd birthday next week. Instead, his family will bury him.

King was killed yesterday when a trench at a Florida construction site collapsed around him, trapping him in wet soil and heavy clay up to his chest. One investigator on the scene said the weight of the dirt falling in on King was "like getting hit by a small car."

Sgt. Randy Justice of the Jacksonville Sheriff''s Office said construction crews at a Jacksonville, Fla., office building were digging a trench with a backhoe when the sides fell in, trapping King. King and other workers, who managed to escape injury, were laying an electrical conduit in the trench, which was approximately six feet deep and five feet wide. King worked as an electrician''s helper for R.E. Bay Electric Co.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is investigating the accident along with the sheriff''s department, has inspected R.E. Bay seven times since 1983, when an employee was electrocuted. James Borders, OSHA''s Jacksonville area director, said there were no citations in that case and that violations found in subsequent inspections were "not significant."

Borders said OSHA is targeting trenching safety, noting, "It''s extremely dangerous, especially here where we have extremely soft soils. It''s definitely a killer on job sites."

The OSHA investigation is expected to take at least a month.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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