According to the Newark Post Online, a 62-year-old worker was buried in a cave-in in Middletown in an excavation accident that happened while workers were laying a sewer line to connect to a new movie theater at Garden Gate and Spring Arbor drives.

The 911 call came in at about 11:54 a.m. According to officials, the worker was still alive and wasn’t completely covered by dirt. When the initial cave-in happened, it trapped him 6 feet below ground level.

The worker was using some type of machinery when the ground gave way Sept. 23, sending him six feet below the surface. When he exited the machine, it triggered further cave-ins. What emergency officials originally deemed a rescue mission soon turned into a recovery effort, and it took them five hours to free the man’s body. Because the ground was saturated with water, it was particularly heavy and the rescue-recovery effort was even more difficult.

Excavation work isn’t as simple as digging a hole and climbing in. For that reason, there are numerous safety precautions that must be taken in this line of work– from shoring up the sides of the trench to ensuring all workers are fully trained on the dangers and safety rules.

It is largely the employers’ responsibility to ensure all of these safety measures are followed and that workers are given proper equipment and training to prevent such accidents. When they fail to provide these resources, they can be held responsible should tragedy strike.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating this particular accident to try and determine the cause. In accidents like this one, it’s rare to find that every precaution was taken. Usually officials discover that something that was overlooked or intentionally bypassed that led to the tragedy.