Excavation or trenching cave-in · Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Robert Woehler & Sons Construction, 7th and Madison Ave, NORFOLK, NEBRASKA 68701
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the hip(s).
Watch Robert Woehler & Sons Construction — freeGet an email when a new federal OSHA severe-injury report for Robert Woehler & Sons Construction is published. One employer, no account, unsubscribe in one click.
Final narrative
On March 28, 2017, at approximately 11:00 a.m., an employee was cutting around an old water main line in preparation to install a new main when the east wall of the trench collapsed. He was buried up to his waist in dirt from the collapse, suffering a possible hip fracture.
An employee was doing electrical work in a trench when one of the trench walls caved in. The employee was struck by the soil and sustained fractures to their ribs and pelvis.
An employee was kneeling in a 4-foot deep hole trying to fix a leak in the waterline. The sidewalls were wet and the dirt fell from behind the employee onto his left side and crushed him against the pipe. The employee was hospitalized for an injured liver.
Employees were checking a trench box for removal when the wall caved in, burying the employees. One employee was hospitalized for 8 rib fractures and a shoulder fracture. The other employee was also hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237110)
An employee was moving a tensile strength test device with a dolly. The device fell from the dolly onto the employee's right leg, causing a compound fracture.
On October 7, 2025, employees were conducting trenching operations for the installation of a new sewer line system. The excavator's bucket was detached and put inside the trench as it was being exchanged for a different-sized bucket. An employee entered the trench with a shovel to move some dirt located at the front end of the pipe. The excavator bucket shifted and slid, striking the employee s right foot and trapping it against the ground. The employee sustained a fractured right tibia.
Employees were working to dislodge a large truck that was stuck in a rut using tow straps and a front-end loader with the bucket removed. An employee connected the straps to the loader and truck and another employee slowly engaged the loader to close the coupler. The injured employee's arm became caught in a pinch point. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured arm.
An employee was lifting a piece of 30-inch line stopping equipment using a jack screw. A lifting eye weld snapped and the load dropped. The end of the jack screw then landed on the employee's heel and crushed it. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was stacking concrete blocks for a concrete bunker. As a block was swinging into place, the employee's left leg was pinched between two blocks, resulting in injuries to his left heel and lower leg.
An employee was climbing a ladder to inspect a vent in a restaurant dining area. The ladder slid out on the floor and the employee fell approximately 12 feet onto the ladder and the floor. He was hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder and a back injury.
An employee was filtering a fryer with a fryer filter machine. After going around the corner and then returning to the fryers, the employee stepped into the filter machine. The hot oil burned the employee's right ankle, and the employee was hospitalized.
An employee was cleaning out corn from a grain bin. The sweep auger in the bin was activated and caught his trouser leg. His leg was pulled into the auger, which injured his calf and caused leg fractures and lacerations.