Excavations - The OSHA

Competent Person Course 5

Hazards of Excavations 3
Legal Stuff

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Underground
Utilities
 Underground Installations

 1926.651(b)(1)The estimated
location of utility installations,
such as sewer, telephone,
fuel, electric, water lines, or
any other underground
installations that reasonably
may be expected to be
encountered during
excavation work, shall be
determined prior to opening
an excavation.
Underground Installations

 1926.651(b)(2)Utility companies or owners shall be

contacted within established or customary local
response times, advised of the proposed work, and
asked to establish the location of the utility
underground installations prior to the start of actual
excavation. When utility companies or owners
cannot respond to a request to locate underground
utility installations within 24 hours (unless a longer
period is required by state or local law), or cannot
establish the exact location of these installations, the
employer may proceed, provided the employer
does so with caution, and provided detection
equipment or other acceptable means to locate
utility installations are used.
Locates
What Some Locates Look Like
What Some Locates Look Like
Warning

Older or
abandoned
installations
may not show
up on current
utilities maps.
Underground Installations

 1926.651(b)(3)When
excavation
operations
approach the
estimated location
of underground
installations, the
exact location of
the installations shall
be determined by
safe and
acceptable means.
This usually means hand digging!
Protect Utilities

 1926.651(b)(4)While the
excavation is open,
underground installations
shall be protected,
supported or removed
as necessary to
safeguard employees.
Protect Utilities

 Do not use
utilities to
support
(brace)
anything.
 This utility is
holding both a
shield and
shoring.
Protect Utilities

What is
this
support
missing.
Protect Utilities

 A simple utility support.

LOTO

 Many
dangerous
utilities may
need to be
locked out
and tagged
out.
Report Damaged Utilities

 Line
damaged by a previous excavation.
 Report to the owner.
Structural Ramps - Egress

Ramps made
of soil or rock
are not
considered
structural
ramps.
Structural Ramps

Ramps made
of soil or rock
are not
considered
structural
ramps.
Structural Ramps

"Structural ramp"
means a ramp
built of steel or
wood, usually
used for vehicle
access.
Access

 Structural ramps that are used solely by employees as a means

of access or egress from excavations shall be designed by a
competent person.
 Egress
1926.651(c)(2)
Means of egress from
trench excavations. A
stairway, ladder, ramp or
other safe means of egress
shall be located in trench
excavations that are 4 feet
(1.22 m) or more in depth
so as to require no more
than 25 feet (7.62 m) of
lateral travel for
employees.
Access

 Ladders must be secured

and extend a minimum of
36 inches above the
landing.
 Metalladders should not
be used due to the fact
they conduct electricity.
Ladders

 Employees shall be protected from cave-in while entering

and exiting the shield.
 Ladder is inside the shield.
1926.651(d)Exposure to vehicular traffic.

 1926.651(d)Exposure to
vehicular traffic.
Employees exposed to
public vehicular traffic
shall be provided with,
and shall wear, warning
vests or other suitable
garments marked with or
made of reflectorized or
high-visibility material.
Working on foot

 How Not To Get Run Over, Hit, or

Crushed By Earth Moving Equipment
 Wear a hard-hat and eye protection
when near this equipment. Many
serious injuries have occurred when
debris was released from moving
vehicles and struck the head or eyes.
 Wear a safety vest of contrasting color
to increase your visibility. When
working at night make it reflective.
 Do not walk, stand on, or have
conversations on the traffic routes.
Vehicles will need to slow down or wait
for you to move - worse yet they may
not see you and run you down.
Walking on Foot

 Where practicable, the route used

for hauling spoil should be
separated from the one used by
employees.
 Where it is not possible to provide
separate routes for the two kinds
of traffic, the movement of
personnel must be forbidden while
equipment is being moved, and
vice versa.
Walking on Foot

 Never walk
between moving
vehicles. Never
walk between a
moving vehicle
and a stationary
object.
 Stay behind
protective barriers
where possible.
Walking on Foot

 Never work within the swing

radius of equipment like
track hoe's. The operator
may not see you and hit you
with a shovel or material
may fall from the shovel
hitting you. If you must
approach inside the swing
radius get the operators
attention and his/her “OK”
before proceeding.
Walking on Foot

 Always keep clear of

pinch-points and
accessible areas within
the rotating
superstructure. There
should be warning signs
on the vehicle to warn of
these.
Walking on Foot

 Don't
work below
elevated parts of
any earth
moving
equipment.
Walking on Foot

 Never ride on or in equipment

unless you have a seat and
seat belt.
 Drivers often can't see
immediately in front of their
vehicle because it's height.
Drivers should give 2 blasts of
the horn before driving
forward. Stay clear of the front
of operating vehicles or those
that might operate.
 In fact, It is a real good idea
not to "Hang Around" these
vehicles at all if they might
move.
Walking on Foot

 Stay out of the drivers

“Blind Spots”. The
greatest danger to
walkers is when these
vehicles back-up.
OSHA requires these
vehicles to have a
back-up alarm or the
driver can signal with
3 horn blasts.
Walking on Foot
 Vehicles operating on crests or
earth elevations could roll-over if
the surface gives way. Strongly
built cabs, rollover protection,
hardhat, and the use of seat belts
protect the drive from injuries. Even
though the driver is protected the
walker could be crushed if rolled
over by a vehicle. Don't work
within the roll zone of these vehicles
when they are on crests.
 DEATH IS SO PERMANENT - SO... BE
CAREFUL.
Fall Protection – No Exception

 Any surface 6 feet or more above a lower level shall be

protected by:
 walkways with guardrail systems
 fall protection systems
Falls

Guard-rail assemblies can be

fabricated which either
connect to trench box sides
and can be easily lifted on
and off, or which can be
inserted into the ground
immediately next to the
supported excavation side.
Walkways

 1926.651(l)Walkways shall be
provided where employees
or equipment are required or
permitted to cross over
excavations. Guardrails
which comply with
§1926.502(b) shall be
provided where walkways
are 6 feet (1.8 m) or more
above lower levels.
Surface Crossing of Trenches.

 Walkways or bridges must be

provided for traffic. These
structures must:
 have a safety factor of 2;
 have a minimum clear width of 18
inches;
 be fitted with standard rails; and
 extend a 2 feet past the surface edge
of the trench.
Surface Crossing of Trenches.

 Jumping or stepping over a

trench can be dangerous.
 The need to cross trenches
can be reduced by limiting
the length of trench left
open.
1926.651(e)Exposure to falling loads

 1926.651(e)Exposure to falling loads. No

employee shall be permitted underneath
loads handled by lifting or digging
equipment. Employees shall be required
to stand away from any vehicle being
loaded or unloaded to avoid being
struck by any spillage or falling materials.
Operators may remain in the cabs of
vehicles being loaded or unloaded when
the vehicles are equipped, in
accordance with §1926.601(b)(6), to
provide adequate protection for the
operator during loading and unloading
operations.
Surcharges

 Employees are not

allowed under loads
handled by lifting or
digging equipment.
 Workers must either stand
away or otherwise be
protected from any
vehicle being loaded or
unloaded to avoid spilling
or falling material.
Surcharges

They shall not

be working
under this
excavator.
Surcharges
 Even without any workers near,
surcharges are prohibited by the
OSHA Stds.
 1926.651(j)(2)
 Employees shall be protected from
excavated or other materials or equipment
that could pose a hazard by falling or
rolling into excavations. Protection shall be
provided by placing and keeping such
materials or equipment at least 2 feet (.61
m) from the edge of excavations…
Truck Drivers 1926.651(e)Exposure to
falling loads

Stay in the cab

(this keeps you
from being hit
by moving
equipment).
1926.651(f)Warning system for mobile
equipment
 1926.651(f)Warning system for mobile
equipment. When mobile equipment is
operated adjacent to an excavation, or
when such equipment is required to
approach the edge of an excavation,
and the operator does not have a clear
and direct view of the edge of the
excavation, a warning system shall be
utilized such as barricades, hand or
mechanical signals, or stop logs. If
possible, the grade should be away from
the excavation.
 Protection from Vehicles

 Or stop logs must be

installed if there is a
danger of vehicles
falling into the trench.
• To prevent vehicles
from rolling grade soil
away from
excavation.
Struck by

 To prevent vehicles from

accidentally falling into the
trench:
 Barricades must be installed.
 Post a flagger to use hand or
mechanical signals.
 Struck Bys

 1926.651(j)(2)Employees shall be
protected from excavated or other
materials or equipment that could
pose a hazard by falling or rolling into
excavations. Protection shall be
provided by placing and keeping
such materials or equipment at least
2 feet (.61 m) from the edge of
excavations, or by the use of
retaining devices that are sufficient to
prevent materials or equipment from
falling or rolling into excavations, or
by a combination of both if
necessary.
Protection from Falling Rock
1926.651(j)(1)
Adequate protection
shall be provided to
Chain link fence can be draped over a
protect employees
slope surface, when the slope contains
from loose rock or soil
significant amount of
that could pose a
loose large rocks.
hazard by falling or
rolling from an
excavation face.
Such protection shall
consist of scaling to
remove loose
material; installation
of protective
barricades at intervals
as necessary on the
face to stop and
contain falling
material; or other
means that provide
equivalent protection.