Excavation, Trenching, and Shoring Safety

Deaths caused by excavation cave-ins account for nearly 1% of all annual occupational deaths in the U.S. Before you begin any excavation, trenching, and shoring activities, you need to take specific steps to set up the work site to avoid the accidental disruption of utilities and assure the stability of adjacent structures. There’s a lot that can go wrong with these scenarios, so awareness and preparedness are critical priorities for protecting the workforce.

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify safety requirements when setting up an excavation site
• Identify hazards in and around an excavation, trenching, and shoring site
• Identify precautions, protective measures, and the types of support systems used at an excavation site
• Recognize cave-in protection requirements and identify proper procedures to keep employees safe on an excavation

REGULATIONS

This course was designed to help satisfy requirements of the following regulations:

• 1926, Subpart P, “Excavation”
• 1926.650 – “Scope, Application & Definitions”
• 1926.651 – “Specific Excavation Requirements”
• 1926.652 – “Requirements for Protective Systems”
• App A – “Soil Classification”
• App B – “Sloping and Benching”
• App C – “Timber Shoring for Trenches”
• App D – “Aluminum Hydraulic Shoring for Trenches”
• App E – “Alternatives to Timber Shoring”
• App F – “Selection of Protective Systems”
• 29 CFR 1926.50 – “Medical Services and First Aid”
• 29 CFR 1926.502 – “Fall Protection Systems Criteria and Practices”

• Preparation for excavation
• Excavation hazards and precautions
• Cave-in protection