How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 221 severe incidents involving trenches and excavations over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 57% of all reported cases. These injuries are frequently severe, involving crushing forces that cause lasting damage to your body.
The physical impact of a trench collapse is often catastrophic. You may suffer injuries to the pelvic region or legs as thousands of pounds of soil shift instantly. These events often lead to long-term disability and require extensive medical intervention.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
The primary danger in trenching is the sudden collapse or engulfment of an open excavation, which accounts for 48% of all reported incidents. When trench walls are not properly sloped, shored, or shielded, the surrounding earth can shift without warning. You are often struck by falling soil or trapped entirely, leading to severe crushing injuries that occur in seconds.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collapse, engulfment— open trench or excavation | 106 |
| 2 | Other fall to lower level | 85 |
| 3 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 13 |
| 4 | Fall on same level | 8 |
| 5 | Fall to lower level resulting in exposure or contact | 3 |
| 6 | Collapse, engulfment— building or structure | 2 |
| 7 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
| 8 | Collapse, engulfment— loose materials or liquids | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction accounts for 77% of all trenching incidents, as the nature of your work requires constant excavation in unstable ground. Your employer is responsible for implementing protective systems like trench boxes or hydraulic shoring to prevent cave-ins. When these systems are absent or improperly installed, the risk of a life-threatening collapse increases significantly.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you becoming trapped while installing pipes, cleaning out debris, or performing repairs in deep, unprotected trenches. These incidents often occur when you exit a trench box or work in areas where the soil has not been properly secured. If your injury involved a similar collapse or failure of protective equipment, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your case.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "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." | |
| 2025 | NE | Construction | "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." | |
| 2025 | CO | Construction | "An employee was digging out and cleaning a 10-foot deep trench he'd just finished excavating. He climbed into the trench to conduct a sewer line repair and the trench collapsed on top of him. As a result of the cave-in, another employee jumped into the trench to save him, causing further injury. The employee was severely bruised and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | ME | Construction | "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." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On May 1, 2025, an employee was cutting a pipe while working inside a trench that was 20' long x 3.5' deep x 4.5' wide. A shaft of dirt fell onto the employee's leg. The employee sustained an injury to their anterior tibial artery." | |
| 2025 | OH | Administrative Services | "A traffic control employee fell 30 inches into an open excavation, resulting in a fractured tibia and fibula." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "Two employees were working in a 6- to 8-foot trench when it collapsed on them. One employee suffered broken ribs and broken lower-back vertebra; the other employee suffered a broken femur." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "Two employees were standing next to a 2 1/2-foot-deep excavation when its edge collapsed. Both employees fell into the excavation; one landed on the other's upward-pointing knee and suffered broken ribs and a lung injury." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was standing next to a trench box waiting to hook up a steel plate for removal. The plate shifted and the employee fell into the trench, resulting in broken ribs, a bruised lung, and multiple contusions." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was working in a trench and exiting the trench using a ladder when the trench collapsed on him. He fell from the ladder and suffered a fractured left leg. " |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.