SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT — One person was hospitalized after a serious trench collapse in South Burlington, Vermont on Monday, December 8th, 2014. The article released by WCAX said that the accident happened at about 9:00 Monday morning.
Officials said a construction worker was hurt when the trench he was working in collapsed suddenly at The Orchard School on Baldwin Avenue. The trench was being dug for a drainage project when the walls caved in on the worker, pinning him against a pipe.
The worker was freed and taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center for unspecified injuries.
Officials from the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration are looking into the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
The news mentioned specifically that there was too much water in the soil after a recent storm, which caused the collapse, so am I the only person wondering why work was being done in the trench at all? I know time is money in the construction industry, and every minute that falls off the clock during a project can be measured in dollars and sense, but when you push it too hard to save or earn a few pennies, you’re putting workers at risk. Now, if this man was working for a different company than the one that dug the trench, i.e. a pipe layer for a contractor, then this may not be a workers’ compensation solution. On paper, workers’ compensation looks like it is designed to help the employee, but really what it does is serve as a bulletproof vest for lawsuits for the employer. On the other hand, if the victim worked for a different company than the one that dug the trench, the contractors that dug the trench have no such lawsuit shield.
— Grossman Law Offices
