Two workers in Texas were killed June 28 when the unprotected 20-ft-deep trench they were inside collapsed, as trench shields sat unused beside the excavation.
They were the 21st and 22nd workers to die in trench-related incidents this year. That put the number of such deaths in the first half of 2022 up 68% compared with 15 similar fatalities for all of 2021, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.