OSHA Publishes Viral Trench Collapse Video

A video depicting a constructing worker narrowly escaping a trench collapse has gone viral. The Oregon division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) posted the video to its YouTube account back in 2009. At the time, however, it only received a handful of views. But thanks to the power of social media networking, the video has now been viewed more than one million times.

The video was taken by Tim Marcum, a former inspector for Oregon's OSHA. As Marcum approached the men working in a relatively deep trench, he notices that one of the men appears to be stuck inside while the sides of the trench are giving way. "Who's in charge today," said Marcum as he approached the trench. "It looks like you've got a little bit of a shoring problem going on," he adds.

The unnamed worker appears to be standing on some sort of temporary structure when the sides of the trench suddenly collapse. At that point, the worker frantically jumps on a pipe to which he clings. Other workers at the site race to save the man with a ladder. After an intense couple of minutes, the worker is able to climb out of the trench unscathed.

"One of our compliance officers happened by this jobsite and caught a cave in on tape that measured roughly the size of a small car," wrote OSHA in the video's description.

Video: Trench Cave-In

The one-and-half-minute-long video reveals the dangers of working in trenches. OSHA has strict guidelines that employers must follow in regards to worker safety involving trenches such as this. Failure to construct sidewalls, for instance, is a serious issue that can lead to potentially fatal collapses. If the walls begin to cave in while one or more workers are stuck below, it can cause serious injury or even death. This is why it's important for employers to familiarize themselves with the nuances of OSHA and its respective laws governing the use of trenches.

You can read more about OSHA's requirements for trenching and excavation safety by visiting https://www.osha.gov/Publications/trench_excavation_fs.html