OSHA launches safety investigation after Cape Coral construction worker was trapped under pipe

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

A construction worker was trapped in a trench at a Cape Coral site lacking a trench box, prompting an investigation by OSHA and halting work at the location.

DeAngelis Diamond Construction has secured the area and is cooperating with the investigation. A Cape Coral fire official noted the site lacked a trench box, a safety measure to prevent such accidents.

Firefighters created a makeshift wall to prevent further dirt collapse while rescuing the trapped worker.

Battalion Chief Jason Huffman of the Cape Coral Fire Department explained, "Trenches here in Southwest Florida can be kind of precarious. They don't like to hold their sides. So we typically, construction companies use trench boxes, to keep that out so they can provide safe working areas for their workers."

The rescue operation involved vacuuming around the man trapped under a large pipe, taking about two hours to free him on Monday afternoon at the site where Lee Health is constructing a new building north of Veterans Parkway. The construction company involved has previously been fined $43,000 by OSHA for safety violations at another site, The Cove at 47th, in 2024.

The Cape Coral Fire Department indicated that Monday's incident could have been prevented, and the dry season conditions contributed to saving the worker's life.

"It is a dry season right now. Usually we don't have a lot of water that are in in the bottom of these trenches right now, depending on how deep they go," said a fire department representative.

OSHA is investigating the incident, a process that may take months to complete.

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