Hazard Alert: Trenches [2023]

Details

• Journal Article:
  Hazard alert: trenches
• Corporate Authors:
  CPWR--The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Description:
  Am I in danger? If you enter a trench that isn't... a) shored, b) sloped/benched, or c) fitted with a trench box; And there isn't... a) a way to escape if it collapses, and b) a "competent person" Then the answer is YES. An unprotected trench can collapse in less than a second. You could die in minutes from a trench collapse... even if your head and arms are above the dirt. How can a trench kill me? Dirt is heavy. Really heavy. One cubic yard of dirt is the weight of a mid-sized car. The weight of the soil is so heavy that it will crush you. Trench walls may look stable, but DON'T TRUST them. On average, more than three workers die every month from a trench collapse. Before you go in... 1) Find the "competent person". OSHA says every excavation job must have a person appointed by the employer as the competent person. This person must inspect the trench every day before work, after rain and when conditions change. When there is a problem, the competent person has the authority to stop work and fix it. 2) Work only in protected areas. Work only inside the trench box or shored areas of the trench if the trench is not sloped or benched. Wear your hardhat. 3) Check your escape. If only takes a second for a trench to collapse, so always be aware of your escape route. If you are in a trench 4' or deeper, you must be within 25' of a ladder, ramp or stairway. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Education Emergencies Mortality Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Construction; Construction-industry; Construction-workers; Construction-equipment; Safety-education; Safety-programs; Work-environment; Worker-health; Training; Education; Safety-measures; Harnesses; Equipment design; Equipment reliability; Mortality data; Injuries; Injury prevention; Accidents; Accident prevention; Accident potential; Safety equipment; Personal protective equipment; Control equipment; Structural design; Ground stability; Weight factors; Trenches; Trenching; Emergency egress; Environmental control equipment; Excavations; Excavation equipment; Headgear; Head protective equipment; Emergency equipment
• Source:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2012 Apr; :1
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Hazard Alerts
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  producción de este documento fue respaldada por el acuerdo cooperativo OH 009762 del Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional (NIOSH)
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1 pdf page
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049710
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f34e118abf595fd416ca6c705758533558a9b6ace21658fe72816bec552d94ba95cc55b41caac19f21b70ef803e861e7e554be41042dd9a9f6fc21bbd78384e6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/140199/cdc_140199_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 286.41 KB ]