A worker in Licking County died Monday morning after a trench collapsed.
The Licking County Sheriff identified the man as 39-year-old Drew Oswald of Baltic. The Licking Township and Granville Township Fire Departments responded to the scene and recovered his body.
The crew had been working on drainage for a new build when the cave-in occurred.
The collapse comes amid a push by state officials to increase safety for trenching projects. The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation recently earmarked $2 million for employers that invest in equipment to prevent cave-ins. The funds will be awarded through a 4-to-1 matching grant program.
In April 2019, two workers on different projects died within days of one another due to trenches collapsing.
