Your Favorite Construction Junkie Articles in 2019

December 30, 2019 Shane Hedmond

image source (clockwise from top left): YouTube, Construction Junkie, Construction Junkie. Andy Rogers, YouTube, and Sarens

Another year is almost in the books — and what an interesting year it was. There was a lot to talk about across our favorite construction topics this year, like technology, safety, crazy videos, and tools. I’ve got a few more 2019 recap articles comping up, so you can make sure you didn’t miss anything important, but I wan ted to start with the articles that our readers found most interesting in the past year.

2018 Trench Collapse Death Leads to Manslaughter Charge for Colorado Contractor

August 30, 2019 Shane Hedmond

A 2018 trench collapse in Colorado lead to the death of a construction worker named Rosario “Chayo” Martinez-Lopez. Now, his employer faces manslaughter charges for his death.

Rash of Trench Collapse Deaths Highlight the Continual Need for Training

April 19, 2019 Shane Hedmond

All trench collapse deaths are preventable. As soon as everyone on a job site starts believing that we might actually make some progress. In just the past 10 days, there have been 4 trench collapse deaths across 3 separate incidents, further highlighting how far we still need to go.

CA Construction Project Manager Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter after Death of Employee

October 26, 2017 Shane Hedmond

Project managers and supervisors are responsible for keeping their employees safe and the court system has recently shown that they take that responsibility very seriously. When supervisors act in a negligent manner and people get hurt or killed, they should be held liable.

Foreman Convicted After Trench Collapse Kills 22 Year Old Construction Worker

November 9, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Every year, an average of 35 construction workers are killed by trench collapses, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With proper shoring, benching, or sloping, each of these deaths is easily preventable. Generally, any trench that exceeds 5 feet in height needs to be properly protected, as the weight of soil can reach up to 3,000 pounds per cubic yard. For more on OSHA's trench safety guidelines, click here.

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