Averting Vermont Trench Accidents and Workplace Injuries

If you ask any worker in the excavating industry what type of construction accident they fear, you will find that trench cave-ins are one of the most dreaded types of Vermont workplace accidents. Trench workers are underground in a small, confined space and rely on others not to make mistakes.

However, when mistakes happen, as there are many hazards on the job, construction workers inside the trench often suffer the consequences of someone else's negligence. When side walls of the trench cave-in, workers may sustain serious and often fatal injuries that include:

  • Fall injuries, such as broken bones
  • Falling debris from above, causing lacerations, fractures and more
  • Suffocation due to a lack of oxygen
  • Being crushed to death from the weight of the soil

Causes of Trench Cave-ins

When trench work in Vermont is being conducted, workers and employers need to fence off the trench so that no one falls in, or that an accidental filling of soils doesn't occur on workers inside the trench. In addition, backhoes and other earth-moving equipment that often works nearby trench sites should be moved outside the range so that their vibrations don't increase the risk of a trench collapse.

  • Contractors and construction companies need to make sure they have a trench safety plan in place prior to the start of trench work, including:
  • Soil evaluation conducted before the job is started
  • Underground utility lines located
  • Toxic fume tests conducted
  • Barricades in place around trench wells
  • Proper protective systems selected for use
  • Retaining devices in place to prevent soils from falling back into the trench
  • Safety equipment provided and worn, including hard hats and lifelines
  • Ladders or ramps supplied for a safe escape

When the construction company makes sure there is an emergency cave-in plan in place and the trench site is inspected frequently, the chances of a Vermont construction accident trench collapse decreases.

If you were injured in a trench accident in Vermont, or if you lost a loved one in a cave-in, you may have rights to compensation for your damages and losses. Please call an experienced Vermont workers' compensation lawyer at the Law Office of Charles Powell to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a skilled Vermont work accident attorney at 877-295-7773.




Charles L. Powell represents injured workers throughout Vermont and is available to speak with injured workers in all Vermont counties and towns including:
Windsor County - Andover, Baltimore, Barnard, Bethel, Bridgewater, Cavendish, Chester, Chester Depot, Hartford, White River Junction, Wilder, Hartland, Ludlow, Ludlow Village, Norwich, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, Rochester, Royalton, Sharon, Springfield, Stockbridge, Weathersfield, Perkinsville, West Windsor, Weston, Windsor, Woodstock and Woodstock Village
Windham County - Athens, Brattleboro, West Brattleboro, Brookline, Dover, Dummerston, Grafton, Guilford, Algiers, Halifax, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Newfane Village, Putney, Rockingham, Bellows Falls, Saxtons River, Somerset, Stratton, Townshend, Harmonyville, West Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, North Westminster, Whitingham, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Windham and South Windham
Orange County - Bradford, Braintree, Brookfield, Chelsea, Corinth, Fairlee, Newbury, Orange, Randolph, Strafford, Thetford, Topsham, Tunbridge, Vershire, Washington, West Fairlee and Williamstown
Washington County - Barre, Websterville, Berlin, Cabot, Cabot Village, Calais, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Fayston, Marshfield, Marshfield Village, Middlesex, Montpelier, Moretown, Northfield, Northfield Village, Plainfield, Roxbury, Waitsfield, Warren, Waterbury, Waterbury Village, Woodbury and Worcester
Caledonia County - Barnet, Burke, West Burke, Danville, Groton, Hardwick, East Hardwick, Mackville, Kirby, Lyndon, Lyndonville, Lyndon Center, East Lyndon, Newark, Peacham, Ryegate, South Ryegate, East Ryegate, Center Ryegate, Sheffield, St. Johnsbury, St. Johnsbury Center, Stannard, Sutton, Walden, Waterford and Wheelock
Chittenden County - Bolton, Burlington, Charlotte, Colchester, Essex, Essex Junction, Hinesburg, Huntington, Jericho, Milton, Richmond, Shelburne, South Burlington, St. George, Underhill, Westford, Williston and Winooski.


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