Excavation Safety

STOP WORK !!!

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 Regulations
 OSH Standards Rule 1410 –Construction Safety
 OSH Standards Rule 1413-Excavation

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 AGENDA
 Introduction
 Terminologies
 Excavation Hazards
 General Requirements Prior to Excavation
 S il Testing
Soil T i
 Excavation Safety Principles
 Maximum Allowable Slopes p
 Methods of Excavation Protection
 OSH Requirements
 Cont ib to Facto
Contributory Factors
s in Excavation
E ca ation Collapse
 Excavation Safety Inspection
 Protection System
y
 Equipment & Handtools
 Heavy Equipment Operator & Spotter
 Strategies in Implementation of Excavation Activities
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 INTRODUCTION
 Excavation is always important part of the construction works
& mining,g, i.e,, excavation of building
g & bridge
g foundations,,
trenching for buried pipelines & electrical poles, tunneling, etc.
Strategic plan should be tabled & implemented while engage
for this work.

 Accidents due to cave-in occur for excavations which are not

shored or otherwise supported. Even rock that looks solid from
a cursory inspection can collapse w/o warning. The sides of an
excavation may need to be suitably shored, benched or sloped
back to a safe angle
g of repose,
p , depth
p and soil classification.

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 INTRODUCTION (CONT)
 Other types of excavation accidents are caused
by contact w/ above & under ground pipes and
cables, by falls of equipment and person, by
pe sons being struck
persons st ck by
b excavating
e ca ating equipment,
eq ipment
and by hazardous atmosphere.

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 INTRODUCTION (CONT)
 TYPICAL EXCAVATION SITE

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Typical Excavation Sites

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 Excavation Hazards
– Surface – Hazardous
encumbrances atmospheres
– Utilities – Water
accumulation
– Access/Egress
– Adjacent
– Vehicle traffic structures
– Falling
ll loads
l d – Loose rock or soil
– Mobile equipment – Falls
– Cave-in

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 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS PRIOR TO
EXCAVATION
 Carry out joint site safety inspection with client / owner,
consultant
co su a & company
co pa y representatives.
ep ese a es
 Identify & locate underground facilities / utilities, i.e., water /
oil / gas pipelines, electric powerlines, telephone lines,
sanitary sewer lines.
 Municipal Permit Requirements
– Excavation Plan
– Verifyy existing
g utilities
– Refer to as built plans
– Emergency / Contingency Plan
– Public safety
 Proximity of adjacent structures
 Weather & moisture conditions
 Sources of the vibrations
 Adjacent road footpaths
 Method of excavation
 Othe possible considerations
Other conside ations
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 Surface Encumbrances
 Need to be removed or supported
 e g fencing
e.g. fencing, piping
piping, structure,
structure materials

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 Utilities
 Underground
U d d
 Locate prior to digging
 Certify deactivation
 Protect, support, or remove

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 Access/Egress
 Note: Poor housekeeping --- # 1 cause of slips,
trips and falls on construction projects
– Debris keptp cleared from work areas
– Mark hazards
– Barricade or cover holes

Egress provided-
- 25’ travel distance
- ladders
- ramps
- stairs
t i
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 Vehicle Traffic
 Traffic
T ffi CControl
t l
 Traffic Safety
y Vests

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 Mobile Equipment
 Warning system
– Barricades
– Hand signals
– Mechanical
M h i l signals
i l
– Stop logs
– Grade away from excavation

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 Hazardous Atmosphere
 Test @ 4’ if suspected
– LEL
– Oxygen
– CO
– H2S
– Petroleum
– Other toxics

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 Ventilation
 Displace hazardous gases and vapors
 Considerations
– Heavier
H i than
th airi or lighter
li ht than
th air
i contaminant
t i t
– Exhausting or blowing in
– Volume/time
V l /ti required
i d tot lower
l concentrations
t ti to
t
acceptable levels

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W t Accumulations
Water A l ti
 Protection from hazards associated with water
accumulation
– Protection against cave-in
– Water removal (pumping)
– Run-off protection
– Consider temporary shut-off of water lines

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 Adjacent Structures
 Ensure structure stability
– Shoring
g
– Bracing
– Underpinning
p g
– Or evaluation by P.E.

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 Cave--in
Cave
 Protection from cave-in requires
q a
systematic approach including:
– Soil classification
– Protective systems
– Inspection
– Employee
p y training
g

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 SOIL TESTING
 Soil testing shall be done by
accredited Soil Testing Firm for the
following reasons:
– soil type
– pre-planning
– type
yp of sloping
p g / shoring
g required
q
 Compilation of Test Certificate

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 EXCAVATION
SAFETY PRINCIPLES

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 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

SOIL MECHANICS

In trenching and excavation

practices,, SOIL is defined as any
p y
materials removed from the ground
to form a hole,, trench or cavity
y for
the purpose of working below the
earth’s surface.

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 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

TRENCH FAILURES

Figure 2. Mechanics of (2a) (2b)

Trench Failure.
Failure

(2c) (2d) (2e) 24

 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

SOIL CLASSIFICATION
• Stable Rock - natural solid mineral matter that
can be
b excavatedt d with
ith vertical
ti l sides
id and d
remain intact while exposed.

• Type A - cohesive soil with unconfined

compressive strength of 144 kPa or
greater.
Examples;
clay,
l silty
ilt clay,
l clay
l loam,
l
sandy clay, clay loam and
silty clay loam and sandy
clay loam. 25
 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

SOIL CLASSIFICATION
• Type B - cohesive soil with unconfined
compressive strength greater than 48
kPa but less than 144 kPa.
Examples;
angular gravel, silt, silt loam
sandyy loam

• Type C - cohesive soil with unconfined

compressive strength of 48 kPa or less.
Examples;
gravel sand
gravel, sand, loamy sand
submerged soil 26
 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

TYPES OF SOIL COLLAPSE

• General zone of exposure
The area where workers
are exposed to mass
soil/rock movement.

• Spoil pile slide

.

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 SAFETY PRINCIPLES

TYPES OF SOIL COLLAPSE

• Side wall Shear

• Slough-in (Cave-in)

• Rotation

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MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SLOPES
Soil / Rock Type Ratio Slope
( g)
(Deg)

Stable Rock Vertical 90

Type A ¾:1 53
Type B 1:1 45
1 ½:1 34
Note: This table is
good for excavation
less than 20 ft deepp

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 METHODS OF EXCAVATION
PROTECTION
 Sloping - please see table for maximum
allowable slopes
 Benching
 Shoring / Timbering
 Sheet Piles
 Concrete Piles
 Micro piles
 Diaphragm
 D
Dewatering
i System
S

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OS REQUIREMENTS
OSH Q S

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• TRAIN WORKERS

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT (PPE)

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• PROTECTION SYSTEMS

The excavation or trench must

either be sloped or supported
as required to comply with
OSHS

Excavation over 6.6 m deep,

protection
t ti system t mustt be
b
installed to prevent the
movement & collapse of
adjacent structure shall be
designed by structural
g
engineer & approved
pp by
y the
proper authority.
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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• LOCATION OF EXCAVATED
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• PUBLIC PROTECTION
& TRAFFIC CONTROL

Traffic around the site

must be controlled,,
and barricaded, signs
and/or flag persons
used as needed to
control both vehicular
and pedestrian traffic.
traffic
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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• PROVISION FOR ACCESS/
EGRESS 0.83 m

A ladder must
m st be located
within 25 ft or 8m of a
worker’s working position.

d>1 m

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• PROVISION FOR
BARRICADES
10m
1.0

d>2 m

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• EXPERIENCED SUPERVISOR

An experienced and trained worker is

designated to directly supervise each
excavation project.
- sloping and benching
- shoring requirements
- emergency rescue procedures.
procedures

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 OSH REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• SITE INSPECTION
Every part of an excavation over
2 m deep where workers work
shall be inspected.
A competent person shall
conduct daily inspections of
excavations, adjacent areas, and
protective
t ti systemst for
f evidence
id
of a situation that could result to
an accident.
accident
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 CONTRIBUTARY FACTORS IN
EXCAVATION COLLAPSE

 Water (i.e., rain, natural ground water,

near the water sources)!
 Improper sloping technique!
 improper impoundment of excavated
soil!
 Wrong
o g pa
parking goof heavy
ea y equipment,
equ p e t,
machines & vehicles!
 Improper
p ope barricade,
a cade, light,
g , sign,
s g , etc.
e c
 No regular monitoring or inspection!
 No adequate training!
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 Simple Slope

 Type A - 3/4:1

 Type B - 1:1

 Type C - 1½ :1

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 Benching

 Type A

 Type B
 ((cohesive soil))

 Type C
NA

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Shoring

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Timber Shoring

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Aluminum Shoring

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Shields (Trench Boxes)

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 Protective Systems
 Removall
R
– Employees clear of area under shields during removal
– Shoring removed from the bottom up,
up SLOWLY!
– Backfill with removal

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EXCAVATION SAFETY INSPECTION

SITE INSPECTION
 Inspection shall be conducted
• prior
• during
• after each hazard
changing
h i event.t
 Daily Inspection shall be conducted on
• excavations
ti
• adjacent areas
• protective systems for possible cave-ins
cave ins
• failure of protective systems
• hazardous atmospheres
• other hazardous conditions
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EXCAVATION SAFETY INSPECTION

SITE INSPECTION
SAMPLE DAILY INSPECTION
 Surface Conditions
• Cracks or Cracking
• Spoil piles set back 2’ from edge
• No
N equipment
i t or material
t i l near edge
d
• No standing water in excavation
• No sources of vibration
 Banks and Sides of Slope or Bench
• Cracks or Cracking
• Spalling
• Change
g in Soil type
yp
• Slope adequate for soil
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EXCAVATION SAFETY INSPECTION

SITE INSPECTION
SAMPLE DAILY INSPECTION
 Shoring and Shielding
• In place
• No
N lleakage
k on h
hydraulic
d li cylinders
li d
• Wedges tight
 A
Access and d Egress
E
• Access every 25 feet
• Stairs,
Stairs ladders and ramp set properly

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EXCAVATION SAFETY INSPECTION

SITE INSPECTION
SAMPLE DAILY INSPECTION
 Existing Utilities
• Support Adequate
• Loose Materials
• Utilities identified and protected
protected.
 Weather
• Rain
• Typhoon, Storm, Wind
 PPE
• Reflectorized vests in vehicular areas
• Hard hats, steel-toe
steel toe shoes, etc. being
used as specified.
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EXCAVATION SAFETY INSPECTION

PROTECTION SYSTEM
 SLOPING AND BENCHING

The slope and configuration of

sloping and benching system
shall be selected and
constructed by competent
person.

 SHORING AND SHIELDING

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 EQUIPMENT & HANDTOOLS
 EQUIPMENT
– Backhoe
– bulldozer
– wheel Loader
– Grader
– Rock Breaker

 HANDTOOLS
– Shovel
– Pickax
– Pneumatic hammer
– etc.
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 EXCAVATION SAFETY

What’s
wrongg
with
this
photo?

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