Whether working above ground, at ground level or below ground, people who work on construction sites are accustomed to all types of dangers. However, did you know that those people who work below ground - meaning in trenches - are particularly vulnerable to serious or even fatal work injuries caused by cave-ins? In fact, the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that at least two workers in the United States are killed in trench collapses every month.

The following post will examine dangers associated with trenches and a few of the OSHA safety rules that construction companies must follow.

Trenches/Excavations

OSHA defines an excavation as any type of man-made removal of earth resulting in the creation of a trench, cut, cavity, depression etc.

Similarly, OSHA defines a trench as a narrow excavation with a depth that that is greater than its width (which cannot exceed 15 feet/4.6 meters).

OSHA trench safety rules

In general, OSHA has three main rules concerning trenches.

First, trenches less than five feet deep may be examined by a "competent person" (to be defined in a subsequent post) who may then decide whether to install a protective system.

Second, trenches between 5 feet deep and 19 feet deep must have a protective system in place unless the whole excavation was made into solid rock.

Third, if the trench is 20 feet deep or more, it must have a protective system designed by a registered professional engineer or "based on tabulated data prepared and/or approved by a registered professional engineer" in accordance with OSHA regulations.

Dangers associated with trenches

As mentioned above, one of the greatest threats to construction workers in trenches is cave-ins, meaning when the walls of the trench collapsing inward and burying anything in its path. While this may seem like a danger that workers could easily escape (i.e., climb out from underneath), OSHA points out that one cubic yard of earth/soil can easily weigh the same as a car.

Other threats faced by those working in trenches include hazardous conditions inside the trench, falls into the trench, and objects falling into the trench from above.

To be continued ...

Stay tuned for further developments from our San Diego workers' compensation blog ...

You should strongly consider seeking the necessary medical treatment if you have suffered any type of work injury - regardless of your employment setting.

This post was for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Related Resources:

OSHA Trade News Release, "OSHA publishes new educational materials on working safely during trenching operations" Oct. 3, 2011