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Trench edges: keep loads and machines out of the hole

Trench edges: keep loads and machines out of the hole

Trenching and excavation 5 min 29 CFR 1926.651

Excavation, Plumbing

Why it matters

Cave-ins get most of the attention in a trench. But workers also get hit by buckets and pipe swinging over the trench, by dirt spilling off a truck, and by machines that drive too close to the edge. A heavy machine at the lip can also push the wall in on the crew.

The talk

A trench job has a lot going on at the edge. The excavator is digging and swinging buckets. A loader is backfilling. A dump truck backs in to haul spoil. Pipe, structures, and boxes get lowered in by the machine. Meanwhile somebody is down in the hole setting grade. Every one of those moves can drop something on the person below or put weight right on the edge. The worker in the trench usually has his head down and cannot see what is coming.

Two rules cover a lot of this. First, nobody stands under a load being lifted or dug by equipment. That includes the bucket swinging over the trench and pipe hanging from a sling. If a load has to go into the trench, the worker steps out of the way until it is set. Second, anyone near a truck being loaded or unloaded stands clear of spilled dirt and rock. When a machine works next to the trench, or has to come up to the edge, and the operator cannot clearly see the edge, there has to be a warning system. That can be barricades, a spotter with hand signals, or stop logs. If you can, grade the ground so it slopes away from the trench.

Here is where it goes wrong. The operator gets used to the job and creeps a little closer every day. The edge cracks under the tracks. Or a laborer guides the pipe by hand while standing in the trench right under it. Or the truck driver does not know a crew is in the hole. Fix it before the work starts. Set stop logs or barricades, agree on hand signals, and keep spoil and machines at least 2 feet back from the edge. Knock loose rocks and dirt off the trench face too. If you are in the hole and a load is coming, get out of its path, even if it slows the job.

Key points

  1. Nobody stands under a load lifted or dug by equipment.
  2. Step out of the way until pipe or a structure is set.
  3. Stand clear of trucks being loaded or unloaded.
  4. Use barricades, signals, or stop logs when the operator cannot see the edge.
  5. Slope the ground away from the trench when you can.
  6. Keep spoil, rock, and machines at least 2 feet back from the edge.
  7. Talk to the operator before you go in the hole.

Do this

  • Set stop logs or barricades before machines work near the edge.
  • Agree on hand signals with the operator before the first lift.
  • Use a tag line to guide pipe so your body stays out from under it.
  • Watch the edge for cracks under tracks or tires.
  • Tell the truck drivers when a crew is in the trench.

Do not do this

  • Do not stand under a swinging bucket or hanging pipe.
  • Do not guide a load by hand from right underneath it.
  • Do not let machines creep closer to the edge day by day.
  • Do not stand beside a truck while it dumps or gets loaded.
  • Do not leave loose rocks sitting on the trench face.

Talk about it

  1. Where will the machines and trucks be working near this trench today?
  2. What signal tells the operator to stop, and does everyone know it?
  3. How do we get pipe into the trench without anyone under it?

This is a short crew briefing. It does not replace a competent person, training, or the law.

Training aid only. This talk is not legal advice. It does not replace your company's safety program, a competent person, the equipment maker's instructions, or the OSHA standard itself.

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