OSHA 30 Hour Course Online

Trenching is an activity that is carried out at all construction sites. Working in trenches can prove to be extremely dangerous. This is because a number of life threatening accidents can occur with people who are working inside the trenches. Falling debris and lack of oxygen are some of the incidents that occur in these trenches. Of these, cave-ins are the most common and fatal accidents. OSHA Construction Safety Rules emphasize the use of cave-in protection systems at construction sites. But most employers choose not to make use of these protective systems declaring that they are inconvenient to use. Recently, an employer went as far as stating: “If the box(trench box) would have fit – we would have used it”. Lately, it has been found out that most of the construction contractors do not abide by the OSHA standards. Therefore, it is not astonishing to know that the lack of cave-in protection was stated as the second most violation last year. As per the safety rules laid down by OSHA, ...

Excavations and trenches are the most hazardous operations in construction sites. Cave-ins hold an absolute threat while working in excavations. A cave-in is a situation wherein the walls of the excavation collapse. This is life-threatening to the worker who is working in the excavation site, because the walls can collapse directly on him. Cave-ins occur when the undisturbed soil is kept in place only by natural forces. In time, these forces diminish to nothing resulting in the walls finally succumbing to the gravitational force of the earth and giving in. All this happens so quickly that it gives no time for the worker in the excavation to react. All the weight in the soil causes severe injuries to the body; sometimes resulting in death too. Construction safety training teaches the targeted audience all about excavation hazards. These include cave-ins, slides, toppling and subsidence. Also, falling debris into the excavation along with unhealthy atmospheric conditions are recognized a...