Tuesday, May 31, 2016

A wave of sorrow and disbelief staggered government agencies, construction companies and private utilities after two men died May 3 in a Boise trench collapse.

Deadly trench collapse left Boise excavators reeling

Emails obtained by the Statesman point to shock and sorrow
No official word yet on whether the crew followed safety protocol
The incident also served as a reminder to government and private groups to take their own workers’ safety seriously

Boise Fire official talks trench collapse rescue

Paul Roberts, division chief of special operations for Boise Fire Department, spoke about the challenges of trench collapse rescue.
Katy Moeller kmoeller@idahostatesman.com
 

SAFETY LAPSE?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, is investigating the incident. In general, proper safety measures avoid deadly trench incidents, said Dave Kearns, the agency’s director in the Boise area.
Kearns would not say whether proper safety measures were in place before the May 3 incident. Highway district officials also declined to comment, but their emails hint at a safety lapse.
“The sad part is that it all could have been prevented by following standard operating procedures,” Director Bruce Wong wrote in an email to the district’s five commission members. “I have spoken with all (district workers who went to the site) and we are watching them very closely as emotions are running high.”
Kearns said cave-in protection is required for any trench more than 5 feet deep. The most common approach is a trench box, a metal brace with two walls held apart by spreaders.
Since the May 3 incident, many have speculated that Hard Rock’s crew wasn’t using a trench box, though investigators haven’t said so publicly.
“I can’t believe that in this day they didn’t have a trench box,” Roger Greaves, director of engineering for Suez, which provides water service in and around Boise, wrote in an email the morning of May 4 to highway district utility coordinator Greg Fullerton, who had asked if the dig was related to a Suez project. It wasn’t.
But Greaves’ comment was based on what he’d heard from other sources, including media reports, not firsthand knowledge, Suez spokesman Mark Snider said.

A HARD LESSON

The trench collapse also served as a wake-up call for excavation and construction experts across the Treasure Valley.
“This is a very strong reminder how important it is to be SAFE out there,” Strauss said the morning of May 4 in an email to highway district staff.
Snider said Suez has a detailed safety policy in place to reduce injuries to its workers. That policy includes a pre-job safety analysis of potential hazards, whether the crew is dealing with a trench, a crane or pressurized chemicals.
The plan is reviewed every day, Snider said, and any worker can stop a job at any time if he or she has a safety concern.
The May 3 incident caught the attention of people at the city of Boise, too, especially the one city crew that digs trenches, spokesman Mike Journee said.
“They take that stuff very, very seriously and they don’t ever cut corners,” Journee said.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article80739882.html#storylink=cpy