Miami Trench & Excavation Accident Attorney
Open pits and trenches are commonplace in any construction project involving the erection of a home, office building or other large structure. Working in or around pits and trenches requires being careful and cautious and aware of your surroundings. There are also safety precautions that must be taken by site supervisors to ensure that trenching and excavation work can be undertaken safely, including guarding the rim of the excavation and making sure trench walls are properly shored and stabilized. Failure to take these necessary steps can be disastrous, and the responsible parties can be liable for any serious personal injury or wrongful death which occurs.
The attorneys at Alan Goldfarb, P.A. are experienced in a wide variety of construction accidents and related cases, including the fatal Miami-Dade Parking Garage collapse in 2012. We can help you if you have been injured in a trenching or excavation accident by providing skilled, knowledgeable advice and representation designed to hold the responsible parties liable for their failures to provide a safe work environment.
OSHA Regulations Define Safety Standards for Trenching and Excavation Operations
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an excavation includes any man-made depression or cut in an earth surface which is formed by the removal of earth. A trench is any excavation below the surface which is deeper than it is wide, up to 15 feet wide.
The greatest risk of injury and death in trenching and excavation operations is the possibility of a cave-in. OSHA rules require walls of trenches and other excavations to be properly shored to prevent cave-ins. OSHA also requires that adequate ramps are designed and constructed for getting in and out of excavations.
In addition to cave-ins, other risks to safety and health in trenches and excavations include falls, being struck by falling loads, and hazardous atmospheres which may contain flammable gases or contaminants. OSHA requires that the proper emergency rescue equipment be provided whenever hazardous atmospheric conditions are present. Another serious danger is simply that the area is not adequately ventilated or that an insufficient amount of oxygen is supplied.
Workers should not be ordered into an unstabilized trench, even for a brief period of time. Safe working practices require one to assume that any unstabilized trench is dangerous. Sometimes a trench is dug for only a very brief period, so it may seem unnecessary or not cost-efficient to stabilize the trench, but all unstabilized trench walls will collapse, and ordering or allowing a worker into an unstabilized trench for any amount of time is unsafe and impermissibly dangerous.
Call Alan Goldfarb, P.A. for Help with a Miami Trench or Excavation Accident
If you or a loved one have been injured in a Miami trench or excavation accident, or other construction site injury, contact Alan Goldfarb, P.A. for a free initial consultation, and let us help you recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other legal damages. Give us a call at 305-371-3111 or call toll-free at 866-936-9761.
