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SAFETY MOMENT, JULY 13

Find the utilities before you dig

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Safety moment, July 13

Find the utilities before you dig

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 13

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

Before an excavation is opened, the estimated location of underground utilities such as sewer, telephone, fuel, electric and water lines must be determined. Utility companies or owners must be asked to locate their lines before digging, and the exact location must be found by safe and acceptable means as you get close (29 CFR 1926.651(b)(2) and (b)(3)). Calling 811 connects you to the local one-call center. (29 CFR 1926.651(b)(1))

ASK THE CREW

What protective system are we using, and where does it stop protecting us?

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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