June 16, 1988

Worker dies in cave-in

       A violation of safety procedures is being blamed in a cave-in that killed a Morgantown man Wednesday at a White River Township excavation site.  Harvey M. Fannin II, 28, died when a wall of dirt collapsed into the hole where he and another man were working just before 3 p.m.  The other man, 26-year-old John D. Allison of rural Trafalgar, was injured in the accident.  John Deiner, Spokesman for the Indiana Occupation Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA), said today a preliminary investigation shows the dirt taken from the trench was piled too close to the edge of the hole.  The weight of the loose dirt on top caused the west wall of the trench to collapse, he said.  Following rescue efforts, Allison was flown by LifeLine helicopter to Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, where he was in satisfactory condition this morning.  The cave-in occurred at the site of the Silver Springs subdivision, 10509 Morgantown Road.  The subdivision site is on the east side of Morgantown Road, across from Mount Pleasant Cemetery south of County Line Road.  An autopsy Wednesday night confirmed that Fannin died of suffocation.  “There were no other injuries that would have been fatal,” said Johnson County Coroner Forrest M. “Tug” Sutton.  Rescue workers from the White River Fire Department said Fannin was completely covered by the dirt, while Allison was buried from the waist down.  Rescue workers said Allison suffered a possible broken leg and other injuries.  They said he remained conscious throughout the rescue.  Both men were working for Sanders Building and Contractors Inc., Whitestown.  They were working in the bottom of a trench more that 16 feet deep, installing an 8-inch sewer line that will serve the subdivision.  IOSHA standards require that the spoil, the dirt taken away from the hole, be placed at least two feet away from the hole.  In this case, Deiner said, the spoil was piled 12 feet high at the very edge of the west side of the trench.   “There apparently was no separation between the spoil and the trench,” Deiner said.  “They improperly safeguarded the workers,” Deiner said.  “Absolutely. They were deficient in that area.”  He said dry conditions this spring make it even more imperative to abide by the 2-foot standard. “I’m not a soil expert, but I would say that that would make the soil very sandy and very dry. So the risk would be greater in dry weather.”  Mark Sanders, owner of Sanders Building and Contracting, was not available for comment on the accident this morning. A company spokeswoman said Sanders was in a meeting with IOSHA officials.  Deiner said Fannin and Allison were working in an 8-foot-high trench box at the bottom of the trench. The box offers protection from loose dirt in the bottom of the hole, but is not designed to handle major cave-ins.  Deputy Coroner Jim Cutrell said Allison told investigators that he and Fannin saw the dirt collapsing above them. “He said they saw the dirt coming and tried to run, but couldn’t get out of the way,” Cutrell said. Allison had gotten out of the trench box and became trapped between the box and the side of the trench. Fannin was buried inside the box.  Deiner said the trench was 16 feet, 8 inches deep and 28 feet long. The sides were tapered, and the trench measured 7 feet, 4 inches wide at the bottom and 15 feet wide at the top.  IOSHA will release a final report on the accident in 40 to 45 days, Deiner said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

      
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