EXCAVATION

DEFINITIONS - EXCAVATION is the preliminary activity of the construction project. It starts from the pits
for the building foundations and continues up to the handing over of the project.

Excavation is the act of removing, moving, and depositing the veneerlike surface f the Earths outermost crust and regolith. The material excavated may be in the solid or semisolid state, that is, rock; in the weathered state, usually a mixture of rock and earth; or in the loose state, earth. HISTORY -

ACKOWLEDGEMENT REAL FACTS ABOUT EXCAVATIONS Since 1976 twenty-four workers have died in unprotected excavations. These workers ranged in experience from two days to twenty-nine years and ranged in age from sixteen to sixty-one years. One thing all these fatalities had in common EACH WORKER THOUGHT HE WAS SAFE. Cave-ins happen unexpectedly, a common occurrence is wall failure. The dirt slides into the trench pinning the worker. He is then helpless as dirt falls on him. The weight of dirt distributed on your back and chest at a depth of two feet is about 700 lbs. So even if a workers face and shoulders are exposed he will not be able to breathe. An unnecessary fatality occurred at an excavation which was dug by hand. There was a sewer line to be augured under a roadway. A property dispute arose and the trench was put on hold. Due to the legal aspects the trench was left unattended. The accident victim, unaware of the excavation, fell in and was unable to right himself and drowned in a pool of water. This is a hazard of an unprotected hazard never leave an excavation unprotected. Workplace Safety and Health officers have forwarded reported violations of the Act to the Crown Attorneys office resulting in the following fines: A worker was fined $400 for working in an unshored excavation. A supervisor was fined $700 for letting a worker ride in the bucket of an excavator. Worker/rider fined $200. Workers failing to take protective measures to protect themselves and other workers fined $300. * These are criminal offenses and require court appearances.