Protect Your People: Trenches Shouldn’t Be Graves

Protect Your People: Trenches Shouldn’t Be Graves

As a small business owner, I care about my people and keeping them safe.

A trench cave-in can happen within milliseconds and suffocate workers within minutes. Trench safety matters at every job site, and it starts with company leaders. With June being National Trench Safety Month, now is a great time to remember that trench-related injuries and fatalities are completely preventable. Employing proper safety measures on job sites is a non-negotiable requirement in our industry. 

There Are No Excuses

After 2022 saw the deadliest year for trenching and excavation in nearly two decades, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration upped its enforcement and education efforts. 39 people died in trench- or excavation-related incidents that year, which was more than double 2021’s number of deaths and the most since 2005.

Southern California has one of the most sophisticated construction industries in the world, and trench cave-in fatalities still happen. People just aren’t taking it seriously enough. I’ve heard all the excuses to cut necessary safety precautions, and they all center on trying to save time and money. 

Your Safety Measures Reflect Your Business

At Inland Foundation Engineering, we prioritize routine and proper training and awareness to put our workers in the best (and safest) position when they head out to a project. We have regular safety meetings that not only cover the gamut of safety topics but are also an integral part of our culture. It’s an open environment to talk about the issues we’ve seen and discuss any problematic conditions that may present themselves.  

With rare exceptions, like rock excavation that has been approved by a licensed geologist, our employees will not enter any trench excavation that isn’t properly shored or is sloped steeper than 1:5:1.

In addition to having the proper slope, we employ the eye test. If there’s evidence of sloughing, caving, other instability or if exit ladders are not provided, our employees will not be entering the trench.

All it takes is one exception or moment of oversight to cause a catastrophic trench cave-in. A seemingly small mistake can lead to severe injuries or fatalities, forever impacting the lives of workers and their families.

Having been on countless job sites throughout my career, I understand how busy they may be and how focused workers are on getting the task at hand completed. Even so, we have no problem informing contractors and owner representatives when trenches are too steep to work safely, so our personnel will not be entering them. We also advise when their workers should stay out of the trenches until they’re excavated to a safer condition. Safety for our entire industry is extremely important to me, and our team is always looking for ways to help improve any job site we step foot on. 

The photo below was taken two years ago on a community college public works project. 

We immediately notified the owner and all involved that this was dangerous and improper protocol. It’s extremely concerning to imagine how often this occurs, goes unnoticed or nothing is said.

Never Compromise the Safety of Your Workers

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Considering June is National Trench Safety Month, it’s a great reminder for all company leaders to set their employees up for safety and success on and off the job site. However, these reminders need to be prioritized by all employees every day in our industry.

Trench cave-ins can happen in the blink of an eye, but by employing proper safety measures before and during projects, trench-related injuries and fatalities can be prevented. Keep your people safe – let’s be proactive and not reactive.

Cynthia Gabaldon

President at CG Resource Management and Engineering Inc

7mo

A very long time ago, when we were working on a project in Buena Park, the trench did collapse and three men were injured. This is a very good post.

To view or add a comment, sign in

More articles by Allen Evans

Insights from the community

Explore topics