What is a cave-in Hazard?

Types of Excavation Hazards Cave-ins or collapses are the greatest risks. Other hazards include: Asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. Inhalation of toxic materials. Excavated Soil or Equipment falling on workers.

How do you prevent an excavating cave-in?

To prevent cave-ins:

1. SLOPE or bench trench walls.
2. SHORE trench walls with supports, or.
3. SHIELD trench walls with trench boxes.

What is the average death of an excavation cave-in?

A review of multiple national databases by NIOSH researchers found that trenching and excavation hazards during construction activities resulted in 488 deaths between 1992 and 2000 – an average of 54 fatalities each year. Sixty-eight percent of those fatalities occurred in companies with fewer than 50 workers.

What causes cave-ins?

When Cave-ins Occur A cave-in occurs anytime the strength of the soil is overcome by the weight of the soil. This causes the soil near the bottom of the trench to bulge inward as a result of the weight of the soil above it. When this happens the lip of the trench wall will move downward.

What to do if a cave-in occurs?

Call 911 and/or the company’s rescue team, and report the cave-in. If the construction site is difficult to find, designate someone to meet the trained rescuers at a readily identifiable address or landmark, and direct them to the cave-in location.

What is the purpose of bedding the excavation?

Bedding and filling materials are used in the sewage and pipeline construction in order to sub- stantially contribute to the structural stability of the underground building and where appropriate to the building on the street, as part of the pipe/ ground structural support system.

What should you do if a cave-in occurs?

How can employers prevent cave-ins?

Such precautions can include special Page 17 Trenching and Excavation Safety 1 1 support or shield systems to prevent cave-ins, water removal to control the water level, or the use of a safety harness and lifeline.

What causes the most deaths in excavation?

Falls. Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in construction. These usually occur from not having proper safety nets for holes, unguarded protruding rebar where impalement happens, not stabilizing portable ladders, poor scaffold construction.

What are the main causes of cave-in deaths?

Trenching fatalities are mainly caused by cave-ins. Death occurs by suffocation or crushing when a worker is buried by falling soil. Over half of all powerline contacts involve buried cable. Before excavating, the gas, electrical, and other services in the area must be accurately located and marked.

Do caves collapse easily?

A cave-in is a collapse of a geologic formation, mine or structure which may occur during mining, tunneling, or steep-walled excavation such as trenching. Glacier caves and other ice formations are very prone to collapse from exposure to warm temperatures or running water.

How often do cave-ins happen?

Cave-ins cause about three out of every four fatalities; the remainder are commonly due to struck-bys or electrocutions.

How does a trench collapse?

Gravity and time will combine to fill the void by way of a trench collapse. One of the ways that the void will be filled by a wedge failure. A large section of the trench wall will collapse by sliding down the shear failure surface and into the trench.

What is a trench accident?

A trench accident occurs because of an accident that happens within the trench itself. The trench may have been dug poorly, making it shaky and unstable, and causing it to collapse inward.

What is trench collapse?

A trench collapse occurs when a trench dug into the ground begins to cave-in and fills in either completely or partially. Depending on the size of the trench, a collapse can either be a minor issue or extremely dangerous. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration…

What is excavation safety?

Excavation safety training and procedures prevent serious injuries and accidents. Before work on an excavation can begin, surface hazards such as unstable buildings, sidewalks, etc. that could endanger employees must be secured or removed.