Whether on the job or working at home, excavations of any size can become hazardous. Soil collapse, hazardous atmospheres, underground utilities, and falls/falling objects are the primary hazards to plan for so that you can work safely:
- Call utility locator services before digging.
- Use caution and avoid using heavy equipment to dig near underground utilities.
- Inspect your soil and excavations before entering.
- Use protective systems in trenches 5 ft or deeper.
- Provide ladders, stairways, or ramps for access every 25 ft.
- Keep spoils piles at least 2 ft away from the excavation edge.
- Use barricades or barriers to keep tools or materials from falling into excavations.
- Remove water from excavations before entering.
- Test the atmosphere for deep or confined excavations.
- Protect trenches or excavations with barriers, guardrails, and warning signs.
- Wear the proper personal protective equipment, including a hard hat, when working in excavations.
- Ensure you’re properly trained before entering any excavation.
Workers in unprotected trenches are more than twice as likely to be killed compared to other construction hazards, and most cave-ins occur in trenches from 5-15 feet deep, where workers feel “safe enough.”
About 90% of excavation fatalities occur because no protective systems, such as sloping, shoring, or shielding, are being used.