Employee Killed in Trench Collapse

Safety at Work

Ashburn, VA (WorkersCompensation.com) – A construction worker is dead after a trench collapsed at a data center project in Virginia.

Officials said the incident happened at the Vantage Data Centers, a seven data center campus in Ashburn, Va. The employee was working for HITT Contracting, Inc., a Vantage spokeswoman said.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of this individual,” the company said in an email. “The safety, security and well-being of all involved in our projects is paramount. We are continuing to support HITT, OSHA and local authorities with their ongoing investigations.”

According to police and fire reports, the collapse was called in around 11 a.m. First responders arrived at 11:02 a.m., and the worker was pulled from the trench at 11:47 a.m.

Ashley Campbell, the spokeswoman for HITT, confirmed the victim worked for HITT. The company has 14 locations nationally, including Richmond and Washington, D.C. and said it was “tremendously saddened by the worker’s death.

“We send our deepest condolences and are committed to supporting the individual’s family, as well as our team members and partners, during this difficult time,” Campbell said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our team members, subcontractors, partners, and neighbors remain our priority at HITT, and we will continue to cooperate with local authorities.”

The worker was rescued by a four-person “heavy rescue squad,” Laura Rinehart, a Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System spokeswoman said. Because of their frequent training, the squad was able to “work quickly and efficiently to rescue the trapped worker and provide aid, although he did not survive his injuries.”

The incident is being investigated by the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Program, part of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. Officials said they are just started the investigation.

HITT said it was also investigating the incident. According to the HITT website, subcontractors are “critical to the success of every project.”

“At the end of the day, there is nothing more critical to the success of a project than the health and safety of our team,” the website said. “Both safety reports and workplace observations are used to determine our annual safety award winners who we acknowledge for their steadfast commitment to safety.”

According to the OSHA, 12 workers died in trench collapses in between January and November 2024, down from 15 in 2023 and 39 in 2022.

In response to the number of deaths in 2022, OSHA launched an enhanced enforcement initiative to protect workers from industry hazards. As part of the initiative, OSHA enforcement staff was directed to consider all tools at the agency’s disposal to place additional emphasis on how agency officials evaluate penalties for trenching and excavation related incidents, including criminal referrals for federal and state prosecution to hold businesses accountable when their actions, or inaction, kills workers.

OSHA said at the time it would put an emphasis on trench inspections and perform more than 1,000 over the course of the year.

"Every one of these tragedies could have been prevented had employers complied with OSHA standards," Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said in a statement. "There simply is no excuse for ignoring safety requirements to prevent trench collapses and cave-ins, and leaving families, friends and co-workers to grieve when the solutions are so well-understood."

OSHA attributed the recent decreases to their 2022 efforts. More work is still needed, the agency said.

“While fewer workers have died from the hazards OSHA investigates, we still lose more than 5,000 workers each year in largely preventable incidents. While we’re proud of this progress, our work is far from over. Reducing worker deaths means embracing an approach that makes worker health and safety a core value in every workplace. Only then can we fully address all the causes and factors that lead to workers dying needlessly on the job,” the agency said.

An investigation into trench collapses by National Public Radio, Texas Public Radio and WAMU found that 250 workers have died from trench collapses over the last 10 years, the majority of which were caused by businesses failing to follow rules for trench safety.

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