KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville company will need to pay around $75,000 in fines after a trench collapse at a job site in July 2023 killed a worker.
On July 10, a trench more than 9 feet deep collapsed and killed a worker in South Knoxville. The worker was helping on a project to replace a sewer line stretching from a city connection at Maryville Pike to a barn on property used as an event venue.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the worker died on the scene.
It also said soil at the job site hadn't been tested, and neither had the trench been inspected. According to the citation, water eradication measures were also not taken and employees were not trained on trenching hazards. A witness also said trench boxes were not used because he was not familiar with how to use them.
It said work at the site began around three and a half months before the collapse, and the project was almost complete. Only around 150 feet was left to dig out to the barn. Three workers were digging it, one of which was the victim.
A witness also told TOSHA that there was once a creek on the property, and as the trench would be dug, water would get in.
"Water was described coming through the trench walls 'like a spout' and did so especially after a rain event. Work was paused a few times when the trench was too wet, but other times, work would still continue despite wet conditions," the citation said.
The area that collapsed was "especially wet," according to the citation. It collapsed as the victim was going up a ladder to get out of the trench.
"Over the course of the trench project, there were 3 prior significant collapses while on the job and multiple collapses that occurred overnight while the trench was open," the citation said.
Design One Building Systems, Inc. and its successors will need to pay a total of $74,650 after the worker's death. TOSHA noted four violations regarding the victim's death, and one violation not regarding the death.