Trenching and Excavation Safety Training

An excavation is a hole left in the ground as the result of removing material. A trench is an excavation in which the depth exceeds the width. Trenching and excavation work is inherently dangerous. Hazards include cave-ins, struck-by injuries, electrical contact, and slips, trips, and falls.

During the MOL’s excavation safety blitz, inspectors will be targeting the following types of excavation projects:

• “trenching” (digging of long narrow excavations) to install or repair services such as natural gas, electrical, telecommunications, and sewers
• construction of foundations
• “soil retention” (stabilizing soil in an excavation)
• digging basements for residential housing
• forming “footing” (supports) for the construction of buildings or bridges
• road construction and repair involving excavation.