Collapse, engulfment open trench or excavation · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at MARTAM CONSTRUCTION, INC., 1432 Kings Road, CARPENTERSVILLE, ILLINOIS 60110
on — Fractures , affecting the Pelvis.
Final narrative
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.
An employee was operating a concrete buggy when a piece of concrete debris became lodged in the tracks, causing the buggy to come to a sudden stop. The employee was thrown from the buggy and landed on the ground on his left side resulting in a broken arm and two broken ribs.
On March 5, 2015, an employee was hospitalized after suffering a foot injury on the job. The employee was standing next to a trench at ground level while lowering a concrete pipe into the ground when the pipe struck the employee in the leg.
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.
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.
Employees were working to apply sealant to a customer's leaking foundation. The injured employee was digging out dirt and passing it to another worker. The hole that was being dug collapsed and the injured employee became trapped in dirt/mud from the waist down. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 237310)
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee was cleaning out an inlet pipe in a stormwater structure. The employee stepped back, fell into the pipe, and landed on concrete 13 feet below, at the bottom of the structure. He suffered a broken back.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was operating a roller and paving a small pathway next to a pavilion. The ground was on a slight pitch, causing him to reach up toward the roll cage to stabilize himself. His right fifth finger was pinched between the roll cage and the rafter of the pavilion. The employee sustained a partial degloving injury with partial traumatic amputation.
An employee was working with paving equipment and heard a noise on the opposite side of the machine he was working on. When the machine stopped, the employee went to the opposite side and crouched down to investigate the noise. A mini track loader backed up and drove over the employee's leg. The employee sustained fractures to their lower leg, ankle, and foot.
An employee was changing a die in a press when the die slipped and crushed the employee's left index finger. The employee sustained an open facture of the tuft of the left distal phalanx and a partial amputation.
An employee was driving a boom lift (in the lowered position) in an exterior dock area. The lift s left wheels rolled onto base plates that covered a 3-foot-deep sump pit. The base plates failed, and one side of the lift dropped. The employee's left leg was caught under the lift basket, and he suffered a fracture to the lower leg including the ankle.