The number of trenching fatalities has greatly increased over the last few years, making it a priority area for those in construction safety and health to address.  The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program (OR-FACE) recently published a report on the investigation of a fatality resulting from a trench collapse, which contains 7 prevention recommendations based on the multiple causes and contributing factors.

The report, which also lists a number of relevant resources in the references, can be found in full on the OR-FACE website.