Trenching and Excavation Safety Taskforce (TEST)

South Dakota, Join CEF CO OSHA Training Institute Education Center 1-Day FREE Trenching & Excavation Class in Sioux Falls, SD We're proud to offer this critical class for #FREE, thanks to the Susan Harwood Grant CEF CO OSHA Training Institute Education Center is here to serve you, whether it be through OSHA numbered courses or through our free classes. 📆 Date: Thursday, April 17, 2025 ⏰ Time: 8:00 AM MST 📍Location: Sioux Falls, SD ✅ Click the link below to get more info and to register Michael Kane| Jim Heaphy, CSP, ASP| CEF CO OSHA Training Institute Education Center | AGC of South Dakota |#OSHA #excavation #trenching #trenchbox #southdakota #southdakotasafetytraining #freeclass #free #CEFOTIEC

How do you #ExcavateSafe? Always #ThinkInsideTheBox. Want a good deal on hardhat stickers? Check out this link: https://lnkd.in/dZwneWmg

Construction company fined $157,500 after deadly Scripps Ranch trench collapse Joel Gomez was in a 17-foot-deep unshored earthen channel that collapsed onto him on Aug. 28, leaving him trapped under dirt and a large concrete pipe. Source: https://lnkd.in/gcZKdKgy #ThinkInsideTheBox #TrenchSafety #ExcavateSafe #TrenchCollapse

2 taken to hospital after trench collapse. Source: https://lnkd.in/gdFfEGGQ #ThinkInsideTheBox #TrenchSafety #ExcavateSafe #TrenchCollapse #TrenchRescue

#ThinkInsideTheBox for safe trenching. #ExcavateSafe #TrenchSafety

Something simple to remember the 5-4-3-2-1 rule… I saw these slides from @atlas.stories and wanted to share it for some key points to remember … Personally I prefer boxes at 4 feet depending on the soil types .. which I talked about in my first post of the year .. but these are some simple rules you can remember when you’re working in a trench. Follow me on IG for more : @ _taylorthings Keep ‘em fresh & stay safe 🫡 #trenchsafetytuesday #thinkinsidethebox #excavation Trenching and Excavation Safety Taskforce (TEST) Gary Donovan ROADPLATES COM Danielle Foley

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Workers take on many risks when they jump into a trench. On average, 26 people die nationwide in trench collapses every year. As essential emergency responders, firefighters train for many different rescue situations, one of which is trench rescue. A yard of dry dirt can weigh as much as 2,000 lbs. If it’s wet, bump that number up to 3,000. So, if that dirt falls on you, it can be deadly. That’s why firefighters are learning how to shore up trenches so that if the worst happens, and a trench collapses, they are ready to attempt a rescue. Assembling structures to shore up the sidewalls helps to ensure that a trench won’t collapse further. In addition to building a trench wall, the rescue team may also have to pump out water and monitor air quality inside the trench to ensure a safe rescue. “We’ve got to continuously monitor that trench. We’ve got to make sure that we don’t have any dangerous levels of natural gas or hydrogen sulfide gas,” said Bismarck Fire Department Capt. Reid Bogers. While safety for the victim and the rescue team is a top priority, there are always risks. Especially during severe trench collapses, and the victim doesn’t have much time to spare. “That’s where we’d have to go through our risk-benefit analysis of victim survivability and the danger that we’re putting ourselves in, if that condition warrants putting that risk in there,” said BFD Training Capt. Josh Peshek. If the sides of the trench cave in, a victim could be buried under the dirt with no way out or suffer extreme injuries like broken bones, spinal cord injuries and even brain damage. Source: https://lnkd.in/d9dKWswM #ThinkInsideTheBox #ExcavateSafe #TrenchSafety #Training

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Crews in Cape Girardeau rescued a construction worker after a trench collapse. He was reportedly trapped from the waist down. Crews were called around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 6 to the area of Limestone Lane near Veterans Memorial Drive for a person trapped in dirt. They worked for more than an hour to get him out. “It’s a coordinated effort amongst a lot of personnel. We do extensive training on this type of stuff with our technical rescue team,” Brad Dillow said. Cape Girardeau battalion chief Brad Dillow says this rescue put that training to use. “We have teams setting up ropes and stuff to create a high point anchor so we can actually lift that person out of the area that they’re trapped in. It’s a very dangerous and complex situation,” Dillow said. Dillow says trenches like these are dangerous because of how wet the dirt can be. “It tends to want to collapse in this time of year. We had an area on this side of the trench that was hanging over and could potentially collapse on the rest of them at any point,” Dillow said. Dillow says they were able to diffuse the danger, and after about an hour, they pulled the man out of the trench and gave him the medical attention he needed. “A trench like this is very dangerous. This hopefully has turned out alright,” Dillow said. Dillow says the construction worker broke his leg when the trench collapsed. Source: https://lnkd.in/gXpswqpp #ThinkInsideTheBox #TrenchSafety #ExcavateSafe #TrenchCollapse #TrenchRescue

Subpart P Excavations/Definitions Pic: Sent to me by a plumber years ago with a note---this saved a life and my company. Trenches collapse---that is what they do! Trench Shields protect---that is what they do! Part 1 of 2 Greetings! Several weeks I concluded a few comments on "Accepted Engineering Practices". Just what it is and how OSHA would determine what it looks like should it need to do so. Today I wish to note a few comments about "cave-in". It may surprise you to know that the earlier version of Subpart P (1972), and its base foundation, the ANSI Excavation and Trenching Standard of 1958, did not contain a definition for "cave-in". I think the reason may have been an assumption that everyone knows what is a "cave-in". Our current version of Subpart P (1989), does contain a definition of "cave-in" as well as several other key concepts, such as "competent person". In many respects, I think instructors also assume that we know what is a "cave-in". But do we? I frequently ask this question: How much soil or rock must fall to constitute a cave-in? Most often---the one asked just stares at me. Let's look at the definition: Cave-in means the separation of a mass of soil or rock material from the side of an excavation, or the loss of soil from under a trench shield or support system, and its sudden movement into the excavation, either by falling or sliding, in sufficient quantity so that it could entrap, bury or otherwise injure and immobilize a person. 1926.650(b) In the effort to squeeze what at one time was a 7-8 hour presentation into a 4 hour presentation, while the definition is mentioned---it is given little attention. In my opinion---this may be a critical mistake and a missed opportunity to clarity an important reality. First, but not the most important thing: Note the portion of the definition regarding "the loss of soil from under a trench shield or support system". During the 80's, I would sometimes get asked by contractors does my literature on trench shields mention how high off the invert they could bench the shield? It may be hard to believe, but since the standard, both the old and new, had a 5 foot mandatory requirement for a protective system to be used---some thought that the bottom five foot of a trench must be safe. Accordingly, they benched their shields 6-9 feet above the invert. Their thinking: If the standard does not require a protective system until you are five feet in depth, then your sloping begins at 5 feet (hard or compact soil) or your shield and/or support system need not be employed. Many still think that the 5-foot rule is based on soil and/or the height of a man. Just ask the question when you are training. In truth, the 5-foot rule was a compromise made between labor groups who wanted the mandatory rule to start at four feet---and another large group of stakeholders (cemeteries) who wanted a 6-foot rule. The 5-foot rule is a compromise! Please see Part 2

Authorities say two contract workers who were trapped Tuesday evening after a trench collapse in Wyandotte, Michigan, were stuck for about four hours before they were finally rescued. Crews responded to the area of 17th and Walnut streets at about 6:47 p.m. The workers were identified as a 44-year-old Southgate man and a 27-year-old Lincoln Park man. A third person was also at the site. Wyandotte Fire Chief Jeremy Moline said one of the workers was transported to a hospital but was in stable condition, while the other was evaluated at the scene and released. Moline said the men, who were working on plumbing, were excavating a hole about 15 feet deep when the trench collapsed. Moline said they are looking into whether safety precautions were put in place prior to the incident. He credits the rescue as a joint effort with multiple crews from Wayne and Washtenaw counties' Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams. The ground proved to be a challenge during the rescue due to wet soil, Moline said. "To me, it's pretty unique. I've been in Wyandotte fire for 24 years. It's the first time I had to activate the Urban Search and Rescue team," he said in an update on Wednesday. "We had trained professionals from all over Southeastern Michigan here to assist us because we do not have the capabilities and the equipment. We don't specialize in those areas, those very specific training and specific equipment that they need, and we're just super fortunate to have them at our disposal." Moline said Wyandotte, as well as the Western Wayne County USAR, will do an after-action report and submit the findings to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That investigation will include identifying what their responding teams could have done better and any issues that contributed to the collapse. Vaskin Badalow, Western Wayane USAR team administrator, said the team had to install temporary support, also called shoring, around the workers to prevent any more soil from falling into the hole. At least two of the rescuers were then able to go down the hole to assess the workers' conditions before a lifting device was used to remove them. Badalow said four of the USAR members went to the scene to develop a plan with Wyandotte fire officials before USAR brought in their equipment. Shawn Skelly, rescue manager for Western Wayne USAR, told CBS News Detroit on Tuesday that they called in Washtenaw USAR when they ran out of equipment. "We're happy that we made out, that the two gentlemen made it out OK. We're very happy for that," Badalow said. Source: https://lnkd.in/d7h6NcFU #ThinkInsideTheBox #TrenchSafety #ExcavateSafe #TrenchCollapse #TrenchRescue