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Digging Your Own
Grave Trench fatalities represented six percent of all construction related deaths last year, and more workers died in trenches in 2003 than they did the previous year. With 50 trench fatalities officially recorded, another 16 workers died in or around trenches after being struck by something or falling into the very excavation they may have helped dig. The irony is that if those workers had been properly trained, and had worn Personal Protective Equipment, every one of those deaths would have been prevented. And OSHA knows it.
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Because trench related deaths went up in 2003, OSHA has
indicated that there will be an increase in trench and excavation inspections in
2004. They'll be on the look out for proper protective equipment, proper
shoring, sloping or benching, a competent person on every site, and every worker
in the trench should be trained on how to work safely in and around
trenches/excavations.
Safety Training ABC Sierra Chapter and Nevada Contractors Insurance offered excavation and trenching safety training on April 28 at ABC's offices in Reno, Nevada. Ted Garland, a safety and loss control consultant with Risk Services-Nevada, did the training with materials from ABC's national association. ABC sponsors development of detailed, comprehensive training classes on subjects such as scaffold, electrical and excavation safety for use by chapters across the country. Trimmer Education, an Arlington, Virginia company, compiles the manuals and other materials for the association. Most training classes include a workbook, PowerPoint presentation and video. OSHA has recognized the training offered through ABC as sufficient for meeting their training requirements. "Nine times out of ten, everybody makes it out of the trench," Garland said. "It's that one time when someone is engulfed." Garland gave an overview of excavation safety requirements, requirements for protective equipment, and competent person qualification. He stressed that excavations should never be taken lightly. "Looking at a trench, it's inert. It doesn't look like it's going to collapse. You put men in it working, have someone above disregard that there are men in the trench, have a blow out below..." Garland said, "and you're going to have something happen." Know Your Soils Lynn Flint was brought in as a special trainer on soils classifications. Flint works for Trench Plate Rental, and outlined the types of soil Northern Nevada contractors were likely to encounter and the kind of precautions necessary when working around excavations. Flint went over how to calculate the amount of shoring needed for a trench. Soil types are assigned a number value. That value times the depth of the excavation plus 72 becomes the number of pounds per cubic foot of shoring needed to maintain that particular trench. She said that OSHA inspectors will often ask to see the data. "Always have your tabulated data on hand," she warned. "If you don't have it, the OSHA inspector will go the manual." Pulling data from the manual may reveal a shortfall in shoring, as the manual does not allow for site conditions. Flint said that testing the soil is vital, and not to make a common mistake. "Never attempt to test from the inside of an excavation," she said. "It may collapse on you. Always test recently excavated soil." Type A soil is cohesive and has not been previously disturbed. "Cohesive" in soil-speak means clay or finely grained soil. It doesn't crumble when held in the hand and holds together when molded. Type B soils is cohesive, but not as much as Type A. Type B soil is basically Type A soil that had been previously disturbed, according to Flint. Type A soil that has been disturbed must be classified as Type B. Type C is the most common soil found in Nevada. It's not cohesive, it crumbles in the hand, it cannot be molded; it's little more than gravel or sand. Type C soil is the most dangerous, and requires the greatest safety precautions when excavating. Flint said that cave-ins are never a good thing. Even if a worker survives the initial crushing, he may suffer injuries that take his life. "You can have ‘crush syndrome,'" she said. "Parts of the body dies, and all the toxins go to the other parts. That's what kills people." Ted Garland said that safety measures are required for good reason. "We're not making this stuff up," he said. "The standards have been put in place by experience." Excavation and Trench Fatalities in 2003 There were 50 construction workers killed in trenches last year, according to statistics from OSHA. Of those 50 deaths, 34 workers had died of injuries received during the collapse of the trench. Nine workers died after being struck by something. Pipes and backhoes were the main cause of those deaths, while assorted other tools caused the rest. Most of the workers killed were laborers (38 deaths), while four were supervisors, three were HVAC workers and two were plumbers. In 2003, there were 16 additional deaths that occurred in or around excavations, yet the exact cause of death is not the main cause of death. Those workers were struck by or fell on something. |
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Call (702) 615-7644 |
