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SAFETY MOMENT, JULY 12

No protection, no entry

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Safety moment, July 12

No protection, no entry

Soil is heavy, and a trench wall can give way with little or no warning. A cave-in can bury or crush a worker before they can react, and a coworker who jumps in to help can be caught by the next collapse. These rules keep the walls off people and give everyone a way out.

SAFETY MOMENT

July 12

The hazard

Soil is heavy, and a trench wall can give way with little or no warning. A cave-in can bury or crush a worker before they can react, and a coworker who jumps in to help can be caught by the next collapse. These rules keep the walls off people and give everyone a way out.

The action

Every worker in an excavation must be protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system, such as sloping, benching, shoring or a trench shield. The only exceptions are excavations entirely in stable rock, or less than 5 feet deep where a competent person has examined the ground and found no sign of a possible cave-in (29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1)(i) and (ii)). Not sure it is protected? Stay out and ask. (29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1))

ASK THE CREW

Who is our competent person today, and what do they check?

From the talk: Trenching and excavation. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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