Trench and Excavation Collapses

At Chicago construction sites, trench and excavation collapses cause serious injuries and deaths to construction workers and others. Trench and excavation collapses are one of the most common causes of construction worker deaths. In fact, 50-100 workers die each year according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety in trench collapses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revealed that the dangers associated with construction site workers involved in excavation areas have twice the death rate of other construction workers who are assigned to different locations on the construction site.

Trench collapses are obviously extremely dangerous and cause serious injuries and deaths. In addition, trench or excavation collapses can also increase the risk of other hazards such as explosions from fractured gas lines. Workers who are involved in digging or trenching foundations and pits are at great risk of injury because of collapse of the excavated area. State and federal regulations are extremely specific about the safety measures that need to be taken by construction site workers to prevent or avoid possibilities that a worker may be severely injured in a trench or excavation collapse.

Contractors who have been assigned the task of digging trenches or providing for excavation need to do soil testing at the very least, but they also must need to slope the size at a grade that makes the trench safe or they need to install trench boxes or a shield to prevent cave-ins. In addition, contractors by law are required to install escape routes such as ladders, stairs or ramps for workers to remove themselves from a dangerous cave-in. In addition to these safety measures, contractors who are tasked with trench digging or excavation also are required to inspect on a daily basis to make sure the trenches are safe. Weather conditions also play a part in that rainstorms or other weather events might compromise the trench’s stability. Other types of dangers for workers in excavation projects are the dropping of tools that may injure workers in a trench.

If you or someone you know or love has been injured or killed in a trench or excavation collapse accident in Illinois, please call us for an immediate free consultation. Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Chicago and Illinois construction site trench or excavation collapse cases for more than 40 years.

Construction site cases can be complicated by the fact that the worker answers to his or her employer, while the employer may be a subcontractor who answers to a general contractor who may answer to the owner of the construction site.

With our years of experience in trying and settling construction site trench and excavation collapse cases, Kreisman Law Offices provides the best possible services to our clients and have achieved unsurpassed results. Our service is unmatched. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online. There is no charge for a consultation that will include an evaluation of your case, assessment of your damages such as lost income, lost wages, medical and hospital bills, past and future pain and suffering, loss of normal life and wrongful death.

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