The Occupational and Health Safety Administration (OSHA) is investigating a pipe layer’s death in a Salt Lake City construction accident. A 46-year-old worker died when the trench in which he was working instantly collapsed, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The 15-foot deep trench was not equipped with a trench box - a sealed wall box - required by OSHA, according to Deputy Chief Dan Andrus of the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
The deceased, Ron Zwart, leaves behind a wife and four children. Zwart, who worked for EBW International, was installing a water line at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salt Lake City when he was totally covered by rushing soil. Co-workers rushed to dig him free, reaching his hard hat by the time an emergency crew arrived. When rescuers uncovered Zwart’s head and chest, they discovered he was dead. Recovery crews on two vacuum trucks eventually freed Zwart’s body.
Representatives from BML Construction Services, which sub-contracted for portions of the water line project, declined to comment about the accident.
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