Analyze for Excavation Hazards
The primary hazard of trenching and excavation is employee injury from collapse. A competent person must inspect and analyze the excavation site on a daily basis and as frequently as necessary as work progresses to make sure that hazards are eliminated before workers are allowed to enter the trench. Soil analysis is important in order to determine appropriate sloping, benching, and shoring.
A cave-in occurred after an inspector told a worker to get out of a trench.
Additional hazards include:
- working with heavy machinery
- manual handling of materials
- working in proximity to traffic
- electrical hazards from overhead and underground power-lines
- hazardous atmospheres
- underground utilities, such as natural gas.
For more information on excavation safety take Course 802 Trench and Excavation Safety.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-10. Doug is an employee working in a trench. Which is the primary hazard he is exposed to?
You forgot to answer the question!