Vertical Walls, a subcontractor on the site, was excavating an area to build a wall for a retention pond when the collapse occurred, the station reports.
Two workers in the excavation were removed to be treated for their injuries, which were not life-threatening, but one buried worker could not be saved, according to news reports.
The incident is being investigated by the N.C. Department of Labor.
For more on excavation safety, see our special report “Death by Trench.”