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Plumber dies after trench gives
The 15-foot-deep trench behind a Pinellas Park business was not supported, as required by OSHA standards.
By ALEX LEARY
Published May 13, 2005
PINELLAS PARK - Ken Clinton feared the worst Thursday morning as he rushed to the 15-foot-deep trench behind his business. When he got there, he saw a man looking up from the dark, damp cavern.
The man wore an oxygen mask as rescuers dug the dirt from around him.
"Oh God," Clinton recalled thinking. "It looks like he's going to be okay."
Forty minutes later, the man was dead.
Charles Michael Morrison, 48, a plumber installing sewer lines at Intrepid Powerboats off Belcher Road, died of cardiac arrest, authorities said. An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Morrison's death shortly before 9 a.m. raised numerous questions, chiefly whether it could have been prevented. Two rescue officials and Clinton said it appeared there was little, if any, trench support - which if true could be a violation of federal safety regulations.
"I didn't see any kind of shoring up at all," said Clinton, Intrepid's vice president of manufacturing.
Todd Livingston, commander of the Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team, said he saw "nothing really in place to secure that trench."
"The only thing I know of is a ladder was placed in the hole for him to get up and down," said Pinellas Park police Capt. Sanfield Forseth.
B&B Professional Plumbing Inc., the Clearwater company Morrison worked for, refused to answer reporters' questions Thursday. It issued a brief statement that said employees are "deeply saddened" by the accident.
"Our hearts and souls go out to the family and friends of Michael Morrison on this tragic day," the statement said, referring to the name Morrison went by. He lived in St. Petersburg with his wife.
The plumbing company was hired by a contractor at the site, Clinton said, identifying the contractor as Wichman Construction of Tampa. Officials there could not be reached.
Records with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show Wichman Construction was cited six times in July 2001 for violations described on the agency's Web site as "serious." And B&B Professional Plumbing was cited twice in July 2001 for violations deemed "serious" by OSHA. Details of the cases were not available Thursday.
OSHA violations can result in penalties ranging from a warning to a significant fine. In the case of a serious violation, the penalty can be up to $7,000 for each citation. A willful violation can carry fines up to $70,000. The U.S. Department of Justice may also bring criminal action against an employer whose willful violation results in death; a conviction is punishable by a fine up to $500,000 plus six months in jail. Under OSHA standards, special precautions are required for trenches deeper than 5 feet. Walls must be sloped for stability or a trench box or other bracing must be used to prevent cave-ins. Also, the trench must be inspected daily by a "competent person" for evidence of problems.
Such trench accidents injure or kill hundreds of workers each year, according to the New York Times, which examined the problems in a series in 2003 on workplace deaths.
OSHA inspectors and others at the scene Thursday were still trying to determine how the accident happened. But the Pinellas Park Police Department said the trench was dug by a backhoe and Morrison climbed into it. His company has been at Intrepid this week installing sewer lines connected to a new boat manufacturing facility. Workers would dig a trench, install pipes, backfill and move on. The work had been going on for several days, Clinton said.
While he was at the bottom of the trench, a side wall of dirt collapsed on Morrison, pinning him against the opposite wall. A fellow worker ran inside the boat manufacturing warehouse and someone called 911 about 7:42 a.m. Rescue workers arrived about 7:50.
Initially, according to Clinton, medical technicians were in the hole with Morrison, trying to free him as he was given oxygen. But the workers were called out, with fire officials deeming the situation too precarious until the walls could be stabilized.
"There's like a 98 percent chance of a second collapse," Livingston said.
Morrison's arms were free, so he was given a shovel and began digging himself out. "He was alert, talking to crews," Livingston said.
A short time later, Morrison seemed lethargic - "not with it," according to Livingston. "He wasn't answering questions. That's when the decision was made to get in with him." Morrison went into cardiac arrest at 8:23 a.m.
Three rescue workers, wearing harnesses connected to ropes, used shovels to remove the dirt, but it was too late: Morrison was pronounced dead at 8:42.
From there, the effort shifted from rescue to recovery. Still worried about another cave-in, workers scurried at the site to fashion bracing. Wood planks were carried in and cut with a saw, then hammered together. Plywood was used, as was metal bracing and jacks.
A stretcher suspended from a fire truck ladder was lowered into the hole and Morrison's body was extracted at 11:46 a.m. - three hours after the accident happened.
Being so close, yet unable to do more to help was a frustration to rescuers. "It's wearing," said Pinellas Park fire Chief Doug Lewis. "It's tough to see someone die in front of you." One firefighter was sent home, distraught.
One of the chaplains on hand, said a prayer over the body, covered in a gray blanket, as it rested near the hole.
Morrison's family said Thursday it was not prepared to discuss the death.
Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Alex Leary can be reached at 893-8472 or leary@sptimes.com
[Last modified May 13, 2005, 00:56:15]
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