One of the most dangerous jobs in construction is working in a trench.
Imagine working in a place surrounded by loose soil, weighing between 90 and 140 pounds per cubic foot. That means one cubic yard of soil can weigh as heavy as a small pickup truck! With this in mind, if a person ever gets buried, there’s little to no chance of survival.
Luckily, the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) declared Jun 20, 2022, “Trench Safety Month.” Aside from raising awareness, this declaration of safety for trenching further highlights NUCA’s innovative program, the “Trench Safety Stand Down” week, which will be held from June 20 to 24, 2022. This event aims to prevent accidents, deaths and spread awareness about the many trenching hazards on the job site.
NUCA has held “Trench Safety Stand Down (TSSD) Week” every June since 2016 for the utilities construction sector. And this year’s event will take place at hundreds of job sites: from upstate New York down to the warm beaches of Florida, reaching and helping thousands of workers. The TSSD Week consists of a series of events planned by NUCA and other industry groups to convey the importance of safety while working at job site trenches and excavations.
Several things can go wrong in a trench work, such as the collection of liquid or vapor, the entry of objects like pipes or boulders that are “stored” around the edge, the lack of space for moving equipment, and cave-ins while people are working. Recognizing the risks and elements of safe work procedures needed for routine work or readiness in emergencies will help lower the risk of getting injured.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists the five most important things to keep in mind when working near trenches:
- Ensure there is a safe way to get in and out of the trench.
- Provide protection against cave-ins
- Keep things away from the sides of the trench at all times.
- Find out if there is any standing water or atmospheric dangers.
- Don’t go into a trench that hasn’t been inspected.
The most effective way to keep trench walls from collapsing is to slope or bench them, shore them up with supports, or shield them with trench boxes.
The best method to mitigate the hazards associated with this industry is to educate and reinforce employees through activities like TSSD Week.
