The James River Group of Companies

Home        Specials       Lasers      Surveying     Trench Shoring       Construction         Contact        Service & Repair

OSHA Safety Requirements:

In preventing trench cave-ins, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that one or more of the following precautions must be taken when working in a trench:

•Use of a shield or trench box system designed to protect the worker in excavations.

•Use of shore sides of excavations with trencher or other materials ensuring the earth does not collapse on workers who must enter them.

•Sloping the sides of the excavation to reduce “overburden” (weight and pressure exerted by large amounts of soil on the sides).

•Securing the sides by equivalent means, such as engineer designed sheeting or bracing.

These requirements are applicable only to trenches 5 feet or more in depth.

 OSHA standards for excavation, trenching and shoring are based on the classification of soils, which has always been a major issue. If a potential for cave-ins or other dangerous movements of the ground is thought to exist, all appropriate measures to provide adequate protection must be taken. Critics have described the existing standards as vague ad confusing in regards to soil classification. The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) and NIOSH jointly published the Development of Draft Construction Safety Standards for Excavations, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 83-103. This standard establishes a requirement to provide protection in excavations five feet deep or greater regardless or soil type.