Page 430 - Trenchless Technology Piping Installation and Inspection

380 Cha pte r Ni ne

Number of Event Leading To Main Occupations Affected:
Year(s) Deaths Injury: Number (%) Number (% of Deaths)
1992–2002 384 (35/yr) Cave-in, 274 (71%) Constr. laborers, 201 (52%)
Struck by falling Plumbers/pipefitters, 33
object, 18 (5%) (9%)
2003 57 Cave-in, 38 (67%) Constr. laborers, 33 (58%)
Supervisors/mgrs, 9 (16%)

Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Microdata provided to the Center to
Protect Workers’ Rights. (Plog et al., 2006.)

TABLE 9.2 Trenching-related Deaths from Injuries in Construction, United States,
1992–2002 and 2003

and operators may receive on-the-job training and not formal
classroom/field training.
• Lack of industry safety standards: With trenchless methods, cur-
rently there are no specific safety standards which can serve
as governing guidelines to owners, engineers, and contrac-
tors, to maintain safe working conditions. OSHA has stan-
dards for tunneling activities; however, they are more focused
on mining and large-diameter tunnels.
• Lack of accurate statistics: As per OSHA requirements,
contractors must keep track of accident occurrences, but there
is no clear differentiation on what technology was used at the
time of the accident.

Trenchless methods have many advantages, but at the same time they
have some limitations, including risks to workers and the public.
Most notably, operators cannot always see what lies ahead and, con-
sequently, may strike the existing underground utilities. Such acci-
dents may result in injuries or deaths depending on the circumstances,
in addition to the added expense of repairing the damaged utilities
and other properties. Conditions such as confined spaces inside the
shaft/pit and tunnels, and activities such as movement of pipe sec-
tions and spoil-removal, working with hydraulic jacks, using machine
power, and working with pneumatic and hydraulic hoses can poten-
tially cause accidents. A dangerous situation may occur when
workers are in the shafts/pits and several activities are conducted
simultaneously in these tight spaces.
As with any construction project, it is important that safety be
included in the design phase. For example, subsurface utility engi-
neering will help designers find out what lies underneath and across
the trenchless installation path. Furthermore, engineers are also