OSHA 10 Hour Construction Course Fact Sheet
Excavations (Construction)
3 .
Relevant Regulations
OSHA's excavation safety standards for construction
are included in 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P.
http://www.osha.gov/
Trenching Flow Chart
Is the excavation more
than 5 feet in depth?
NO
Is there potential
for cave-in?
Excavation may be made
NO with vertical sides.
YES Excavation must be sloped,
shored, or shielded.
Reasons to Study/Hazards
Excavations are recognized as one of the most
hazardous construction operations. The trench is the
most hazardous type of excavation; it is deeper than it
is wide and represents a hazard to any worker inside
the trench in the event of a collapse.
The fatality rate for excavations is 112% higher than
the rate for general construction. An estimated 100
deaths occur each year with over 1,000 workers
injured.
Many injuries and fatalities are the result of cave-ins.
Most cave-ins occur in trenches only 5 - 15 feet deep.
Most of these deaths are from asphyxiation, though
some are caused by the weight of collapsed materials.
In addition to the cave-in hazard, there are dangers
from excavating near underground utilities.
YES Is the excavation
entirely in stable
rock?
YES
NO
Precautions to Take
Workers must be trained properly, and must adhere to
the safety plan.
A Competent Person plays a crucial role in trenches
and excavations.
To prevent collapse, the Competent Person will select
either sloping, shoring, or shielding, depending on the
jobsite conditions. He or she will consider:
• The soil type (A, B, C, or solid rock)
• Stand-up time of the soil
• The depth of the trench
• Surface vibration
• Effects of weather
• Slope of the trench wall
• Depth of the water table
• The unit weight of the soil.
He or she also identifies and inspects established
safety measures, establishes a rescue plan, directly
supervises the excavation, and keeps records on
inspections and on shoring or shielding.
Conditions on a jobsite may change, and therefore
excavations require constant inspections.
When digging near underground utility lines, you
must “Call Before You Dig” to identify the locations
of utility lines.
When digging adjacent to the foundations of other
structures or near utility poles, special care must be
used to keep those foundations and poles intact.