Safety Alert for Supervisors: 9/14/2026

Incident summary The failure of a supervisor to identify a significant job- related hazard led to the entombment of a worker at the bottom of a trench. What happened A 49-year-old staffer was hired to help install rebar at the bottom of an excavation located next to an existing retaining wall. The crew member descended into the five-foot- deep trench along with three coworkers. The men didn’t know that the trench had been dug below the level of the retaining wall, which decreased the stability of the nearby wall. As the crew was working inside the trench, the retaining wall suddenly collapsed on the four men. Two of the workers were able to scramble to safety, but the other two staff members were entombed beneath the rubble left by the collapsed wall. Responders were able to safely remove one of the trapped men, but the other staffer was harder to reach. By the time rescuers finally got to the other worker, he was already dead from blunt head trauma. Findings The employer failed to conduct a job hazard analysis prior to the start of the dangerous task. Had an analysis been completed, it would’ve revealed the significant risk posed by the potential collapse of the nearby retaining wall. The employer could’ve reduced the hazard from the retaining wall by building a support system such as bracing, shoring, or underpinning to support the wall during the job. Furthermore, the victim and everyone else on the crew hadn’t been provided with training on how to work safely in trenches. They also weren’t told that the unshored retaining wall next to the trench could collapse at any time. Man fatally entombed after wall collapses on work crew No one on job site was aware of risk from unstable structure You make the call: Employer assumed contract crew was following the rules “ W e surely don’t have sufficient resources to constantly monitor the work being performed by our contractors,” said George, the supervisor, “so you can’t hammer us with a citation because a contract crew committed a safety violation.” “You’re mistaken,” replied Tammy, the compliance officer. “You have a legal obligation to make sure contract workers stay safe. In this case, the contract crew violated one of our regulations because it failed to install a staircase to the second floor of a structure that was being built. Instead, the contract staffers were using a ladder to access the second floor. Our citation is valid.” Didn’t know about it “While it’s true that the contract crew failed to erect the staircase as it was required to do,” said George, “we’re not on the hook for the penalty because we couldn’t have known about the alleged violation.” “Why couldn’t you have been aware of the safety violation?” asked Tammy. “The back of the building wasn’t visible from the street,” said George. “Our supervisors monitored the worksite by driving by it. They couldn’t see the back of the structure, so they assumed the staircase had been installed in the rear of the building.” “Their assumption was incorrect,” said Tammy. “There was no staircase in the rear of the structure.” Someone else “We know that now,” said George. “But, again, we were unaware of the alleged violation and you can’t cite us for a safety problem caused by someone else. We’ll challenge your fine.” Did the company win? 2 Safety News Staffer hit with criminal charges after horseplay incident kills colleague. 2 Quick Ideas Here’s one way to lower the chances of injuries from pressure washers. 3 Legal Developments After spotter leaves the work area, man suffers fatal electrocution injury. 3 Horror Stories Crew member crushed to death after boat tumbles off forklift, lands on him. 4 Safety Meeting Workers are at risk for a range of different injuries while using power tools. In this issue ■ Make your call, then go to page 3 for the court’s ruling. September 14, 2026 SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS The No. 1 source of actionable information to help supervisors keep their people safe Including: Supervisor’s Safety Toolbox