Plan To Be Safe When Trenching
From the files of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): An employee was in a trench installing forms for concrete footers when it caved in, causing fatal injuries. The trench, which was 7 1/2 feet deep, was in loose, sandy (Type C) soil, and no inspection was conducted prior to the start of the shift.
This is one of many reports on file at OSHA that shed light on a growing problem for contractors — the increasing incidence of trenching accidents. By their very nature, excavations are hazardous because they are inherently unstable. If space is restricted, they present the additional risk of oxygen depletion, toxic fumes, or water accumulation. Despite industry standards, construction trenching accidents claim the lives of 40 workers each year.
Trenching Safety Begins With Prejob Planning
Safety cannot be improvised as work progresses. OSHA recommends the
following prejob planning guidelines to ensure the safety of your workers:
- Have a competent person inspect the site daily at the start of each shift, following a rainstorm or after any other hazard-increasing event.
- Evaluate soil conditions and select appropriate protective systems.
- Construct protective systems in accordance with OSHA standard requirements. Trenches five feet deep or greater require a protective system or sloping. Trenches 20 feet deep or greater require that the protective system be designed by a registered professional engineer.
- Contact utilities to locate underground utilities, and plan for traffic control, if necessary.
- Test for low oxygen, hazardous fumes and toxic gases, and insure adequate ventilation or respiratory protection, as appropriate.
- Provide safe access into and out of the excavation.
Count on EMC to provide you and your employees with loss control information to make construction job sites safer.
