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SAFETY MOMENT, JULY 14

Keep the edges clear

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Safety moment, July 14

Keep the edges clear

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 14

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

Keep spoil piles, materials and equipment at least 2 feet back from the edge, or hold them back with retaining devices, or both. Never stand under loads handled by lifting or digging equipment (29 CFR 1926.651(e)). When mobile equipment works near the edge and the operator cannot clearly see it, a warning system such as barricades, hand or mechanical signals, or stop logs must be used (29 CFR 1926.651(f)). Workers exposed to public traffic must wear a warning vest or other high-visibility garment (29 CFR 1926.651(d)). (29 CFR 1926.651(j)(2))

ASK THE CREW

What do you do if you see cracks at the edge or water seeping in?

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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