What is the 5 foot rule excavation?
Trenches 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep or greater require a protective system unless the excavation is made entirely in stable rock. If less than 5 feet deep, a competent person may determine that a protective system is not required.
What are the safety precautions for excavation?
Avoid underground services and make sure not to undermine nearby structures – use safe digging practice and dig away from them. Check the excavation each day before starting work and after any event that may affect its stability. Provide safe access to get in and out. Prevent collapse – shore, bench, or batter back.
What is the four foot rule in excavation?
Four-foot rule – a means to get in and out of a trench if it is four or more feet deep. Must not have to travel more than 25 feet to reach the means of egress. person inspects to ensure there is no potential for cave-in.
What are the 4 potential hazards in excavation?
Cave-ins or collapses that can trap or crush workers. Equipment or excavated soil falling on workers (e.g., equipment is operated or soil and debris is stored too close to the excavation). Falling into the trench or excavation. Flooding or water accumulation.
What is the 6 foot rule for excavation?
(ii) Each employee at the edge of a well, pit, shaft, and similar excavation 6 feet (1.8m) or more in depth shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems, fences, barricades, or covers.
When a trench is 4 feet or more in depth?
In trenches that are 4 feet or more in depth, provide a means of access and egress. Spacing between ladders, stairs or ramps should not be more than 50 feet. No worker should have to travel more than 25 feet laterally to reach a means of egress (exit). Ladders must be secured and extend 36 inches above the landing.
Do and don’ts for excavation work?
Don’t use iron tools without non-conductive handles where underground power cables may be present or suspected. Don’t allow the excavator machine to move near overhead or underground power lines. Don’t cross in a barricaded area without proper precautions. Don’t allow personnel to work near excavating machinery.
What is the most common hazard during an excavation?
cave-in
Probably the most common hazard at any work site is the threat of cave-in. A cave-in occurs when walls of an excavation collapse. Cave-ins can be deadly.
At what height must excavations be benched?
Benching and battering should be started at a depth of 1 metre. The rule is one metre up and one metre back.
What depth is considered a trench?
A trench is defined as a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground. In general, the depth of a trench is greater than its width, but the width of a trench (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 15 feet (4.6 m). What are the dangers of trenching and excavation operations?
Can a trench be wider than 15 feet?
A trench is defined as a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground. In general, the depth of a trench is greater than its width, but the width of a trench (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 15 feet (4.6 m).
What is the difference between a trench and an excavation?
What is the difference between an excavation and a trench? OSHA defines an excavation as any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the Earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground.
How deep can an excavation be without shoring?
5 feet
How Deep Can a Trench Be Without Shoring? Trenches with a depth of 5 feet (1.5 meters) or greater need a protective system unless the entire excavation is in stable rock. If there is anything less than 5 feet, it is up to a competent person’s discretion to determine if there is a need for a protective system.
What are the hazards in excavation?
Types of Excavation Hazards
- Asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen.
- Inhalation of toxic materials.
- Fire.
- Excavated Soil or Equipment falling on workers.
- Moving machinery near the edge of the excavation can cause a collapse.
- Falling, Slips, Trips.
- The accidental severing of underground utility lines/power lines.
What is the OSHA standard for excavation?
OSHA requires employers to provide ladders, steps, ramps, or other safe means of egress for workers working in trench excavations 4 feet (1.22 meters) or deeper. The means of egress must be located so as not to require workers to travel more than 25 feet (7.62 meters) laterally within the trench.
What is the maximum depth a trench can be dug without support?
1.2m deep
The basis of the rule is that, if a trench is under 1.2m deep, then people can enter the trench without the sides of the excavation being supported or battered back. This rule is no longer something that should be considered. 1.2m is no longer the threshold for the need to support an excavation.
What type of soil Cannot be benched?
Type C soil cannot be benched.
What is the most common excavation hazard?
Probably the most common hazard at any work site is the threat of cave-in. A cave-in occurs when walls of an excavation collapse. Cave-ins can be deadly. Wall failures often occur suddenly, with little or no time for the worker to react.
What is the difference between an excavation and a trench?
What are the 7 types of hazard?
The 7 common workplace hazards are:
- Safety hazards.
- Biological hazards.
- Physical hazards.
- Ergonomic hazards.
- Chemical hazards.
- Work organization hazards.
- Environmental hazards.
What is the 1 2 depth RULE?
Any system used must meet the required performance criteria. than 1½:1 (for every foot of depth, the trench must be excavated back 1½ feet). A slope of this gradation is safe for any type of soil. a registered professional engineer.
What is most likely to cause an excavation to collapse?
Falling or dislodging material
Effect of plant and vehicles – Do not park plant and vehicles close to the sides of excavations. The extra loadings can make the sides of excavations more likely to collapse.
What is the deadliest excavation hazard?
A cave-in is probably the deadliest excavation hazard, where walls can suddenly collapse without warning, workers do not have time to move out of the way, and cubic yards of dirt can fatally crush and suffocate.
What are the 3 types of safety?
Functional, Electrical, Intrinsic: the 3 domains of safety
Thinking of safety in generic terms can be ambiguous, especially in relation to the global analysis of the causes of accidents and related preventive measures.
What are the 5 types of safety?
What the Five Types of Safety Controls Look Like in Practice
- Elimination: Physically remove the hazard.
- Substitution: Replace the hazard.
- Engineering controls: Isolate people from the hazard.
- Administrative controls: Change the way people work.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): Protect the worker.