trench collapses in December.
The fatal collapses for the month were reported in Georgia, Virginia, South Dakota, Michigan and California.
Those fatalities bring the year’s construction trench-collapse death toll to at least 21, which is the same as in 2019, according to reports compiled by Equipment World from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and news media. (Cumulative OSHA data on trench-collapse deaths have not been released for 2019 and 2020.)
Trench-collapse deaths among construction workers appear to be rising slightly since 2018. There were 17 fatalities that year being investigated by OSHA and state agencies, according to the NIOSH Science Blog.
A breakdown of construction trench fatalities between 2003 and 2020 shows that – outside of 2016, when there was a decade-high of 33 trench deaths – 2019 and 2020 are tied for the second-deadliest years since 2010.