DURHAM, N.C. – The site where a contractor was killed lays quiet as shoppers went about their day Thursday.

• A worker for a construction subcontractor was killed in a Wednesday trench collapse
• The Department of Labor said the investigation could take up to 6 months
• Nearby businesses have set up a memorial at the site

Small flower arrangements were left atop the piles of bricks that had been set aside for the gas station off Corners Parkway in Brier Creek. Waxing the City manager Ninette Sunday said she and her employees watched the scene unfold outside their back door the previous day. Employees left flowers at the scene Thursday morning.

“We just wanted to make sure that everybody knows we’re thinking of them,” she said.

One worker was killed and two more injured in a trench collapse on Wednesday. A fourth worker was able to escape without injury. In a statement, Charlotte-based construction company D R Mozeley said the workers involved were subcontractors working on a Mozeley project. According to D R Mozeley the contractors were J Squared Plumbing out of Georgia. D R Mozeley says, "On the day of the incident, representatives of J Squared Plumbing were scheduled to work on a water meter assembly in a three foot well, not performing work in a deeper trench."

The N.C. Department of Labor said it couldn’t comment specifically on the ongoing investigation but provided some background information about trench collapse investigations. Among other things, investigators will note whether the workers had proper protective systems in place, such as trench boxes, to shore up the sides of the trench. They will determine whether the soil was sloped correctly and whether the workers had any safe exits. The agency said depending on the complexity of the incident, the investigation could take anywhere from a few weeks to six months.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, three workers were killed in excavation or trench collapses in North Carolina between 2011 and 2018, the most recent year for which finalized data are available. All three deaths happened in 2014.