Collapse, engulfment open trench or excavation · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Alan Trombley Construction, Inc., 6 Third Street, HOULTON, MAINE 04730
on — Fractures , affecting the Ankle(s).
Final narrative
An employee was climbing a ladder to get out of a trench when the trench collapsed. The employee's leg was trapped in soil and their ankle was fractured.
An employee was standing in an excavation, about 12 feet deep, to check a natural gas pipeline for leaks. The excavation's sides sloughed, and the employee was buried up to the waist. The employee suffered a broken left lower leg.
An employee was working in a trench that was 3.5 feet deep when soil fell and hit them, resulting in an injury to their pelvis. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee went to verify whether the pipe boxes inside a trench contained water. He entered the trench and went to clean the boxes. A wall of dirt collapsed and struck him on the back. He was partially buried up to his hips. His left leg was completely stuck, and the dirt remained pressing against his back. The employee was hospitalized with a sprained left ankle and back pain.
An employee was digging in an excavation less than five feet deep to locate existing underground utilities. Side wall shear occurred in the excavation and the employee was struck by loose pieces of asphalt pavement and soil in the lower half of their body. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
On July 30, 2025, at approximately 8:30 AM, an employee was installing a storm drain pipe in a trench that was approximately 14 feet deep. While working near the edge of the trench, the employee exited the trench box. A section of the trench wall collapsed, striking the employee and causing him to fall into an adjacent manhole box within the trench. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder and a fractured femur.
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.
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
Two employees were working to change a tire on a mobile slasher saw. The slasher weighs around 2,000 pounds and is towed. Employee 2 was lifting the saw while the injured employee was placing a block of wood under the frame for support. The slasher then lowered onto the block and the injured employee's left thumb was crushed between the slasher frame and the wood block, leading to an amputation at the first knuckle.
An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.
An employee was standing on a step stool, removing the nuts and bolts from the frame of a solar panel that was being replaced. The employee's cheek made contact with a connector with damaged insulation. The employee was shocked, briefly lost consciousness, and fell to the ground, suffering an injury to the left shoulder.