Excavation & Trenching Safety

When employers share the details of their safety and health programs with workers, they should emphasize the critical role workers play in keeping the jobsite safe. Employers also need to emphasize specific practices that will help reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries at excavation sites. Such practices can include the following: Know where underground utilities […]

OSHA requires employers to provide ladders, steps, ramps, or other safe means of egress for workers working in trench excavations 4 feet (1.22 meters) or deeper. The means of egress must be located so as not to require workers to travel more than 25 feet (7.62 meters) laterally within the trench. Any structural ramps used […]

Working Safely in Trenches When done safely, trenching operations can reduce worker exposure to cave-ins, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, and hazards from mobile equipment. OSHA standards require that trenches and protective systems be inspected daily and as conditions change by a competent person before work begins. Never enter a trench unless: It has been properly […]

Water accumulation in an excavation can undermine the sides of the excavation and make it more difficult for workers to get out of the excavation. The OSHA standards prohibit employers from allowing workers to enter an excavation where water has accumulated or is accumulating unless adequate precautions are taken to protect workers. Such precautions can […]

Must slope, bench, shore, or use a trench box if deeper than 5’. Follow Table 1 (see other side). You may need to slope at less than 5’ if hazard exists. A Qualified Person must decide the proper slope for the trench and inspect it. Inspections must be an ongoing process. If the excavation does […]

Considering that 20 percent of excavation, trenching, and shoring fatalities are estimated to occur in the employee’s first 90 days of employment, and that 40 percent are estimated to occur within the first year of employment–there appears to be a direct correlation between experience and safety. In an effort to clarify the critical training elements, […]