TRENCHING & EXCAVATION SUPERVISOR
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Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. OSHA defines an excavation as any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet (4.5 meters).
Dangers of Trenching and Excavation
Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are much more likely than other excavation related accidents to result in worker fatalities. Other potential hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, and incidents involving mobile equipment. Trench collapses cause dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries each year.
General Trenching and Excavation Rules
- Keep heavy equipment away from trench edges.
- Keep surcharge loads at least 2 feet (0.6 meters) from trench edges.
- Know where underground utilities are located.
- Test for low oxygen, hazardous fumes and toxic gases.
- Inspect trenches at the start of each shift.
- Inspect trenches following a rainstorm.
- Do not work under raised loads.
NEWS
Quick action by OSHA inspector helps avert employee injuries in trench collapse
When a compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) from OSHA's Calumet City, Ill., Area Office arrived at a jobsite to conduct a trench inspection under the agency's national emphasis program, he observed an employee working in an unprotected 7-foot deep trench. Although the employee worked for a village public works department, the CSHO identified the hazards and the construction employer agreed to voluntarily remove the employee from the unsafe trench. As the employee began exiting the trench, the side wall collapsed and the water main the employee was working on erupted sending approximately 4 feet of water into the trench. Because OSHA had no jurisdiction, a referral was made to the State of Illinois Department of Labor for further investigation. Detailed information on excavation safety is available on OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/trenchingexcavation/index.html
OSHA TRENCHING/EXCAVATION
SUPERVISOR
OSHA Trenching & Excavation Supervisor. Covers cave-ins & worker fatalities. Hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres & incidents involving mobile equipment
OSHA Trenching & Excavation Supervisor. Covers cave-ins & worker fatalities. Hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres & incidents involving mobile equipment
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