Name: 2 workers rescued from trench collapse in Lower Merion
Uploaded: 2022-02-23T12:58:54-05:00
Description: A trench collapse at a home construction project in Lower Merion Township caused two workers to become incased in mud and dirt. Investigators believe the trench did not have proper support in place to prevent the collapse.

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2 workers rescued from trench collapse in Lower Merion

A trench collapse at a home construction project in Lower Merion Township caused two workers to become incased in mud and dirt. Investigators believe the trench did not have proper support in place to prevent the collapse.

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Two workers were rescued from a trench collapse at a home construction project Wednesday afternoon in Montgomery County.

Firefighters from the Lower Merion Township Fire Department were called to Mt. Pleasant Road around 12 p.m. and found the men buried up to their chests in a 10-foot trench.

Chief Chas McGarvey said one of the men started to lose consciousness due to the pressure on his chest from the dirt and mud.

Firefighters freed the workers and both are expected to recover.

Chief McGarvey said the trench did not have the proper support in place to prevent a collapse, which could be a violation of worker safety rules.

Ronald Smith Excavation of Downingtown, the company in charge of the digging, did not return a phone call for comment.

A spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said the federal agency will investigate the trench collapse.