& NEW OSHA ENFORCEMENT OVERSIGHT

MEASURES AIM TO REVERSE THE RISE OF TRENCH-RELATED FATALITIES

Through the end of November 2022, 35 workers had fallen victim to deadly trench collapses—more than double the number in all of 2021.

Every one of these tragedies could have been prevented had employers complied with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. There simply is no excuse for ignoring safety requirements to prevent trench collapses and cave-ins, and leaving families, friends, and co-workers to grieve when the solutions are so well-understood.

In a matter of seconds, workers can be crushed and buried under thousands of pounds of soil and rocks in an unsafe trench. The alarming increase in the controlled when employers act responsibly, train employees and follow federal standards.

In keeping with our National Emphasis Program on trenching and excavation, from January 1 through December 2, 2022, OSHA compliance officers conducted 1,975 inspections nationwide where they stopped at, and inspected, excavation sites during their daily duties. During this time, approximately 1,500 citations were issued for violations of OSHA’s trenching and excavation standards. States that operate their own Occupational Safety and Health plan have similar emphasis programs in place.

These actions place additional emphasis on how agency officials evaluate penalties for trenching- and

In the past six months, OSHA has conducted nearly 600 compliance assistance activities involving trenching, reaching about two million people. Compliance assistance specialists and safety and health officers have spoken at various events nationwide, sharing information on trenching and excavation hazards to contractors, builders, excavators, and workers, as well as fire departments and academies, and public utilities. We have and will continue to conduct outreach programs, including safety summits, in all of our 10 regions to ensure any employer who wants assistance gets it. The stakes are too important. OSHA is calling on all employers engaged in trenching number of workers needlessly dying and suffering serious injuries in trenching incidents must be stopped.

Recent incidents in Texas and Indiana highlight the dangers of trenching. On Nov. 17, 2022, a worker in Anna, Texas, installing new sewer lines was fatally injured after a portion of a 30-foot-deep excavation collapsed. On Nov. 28, 2022, a 22-year-old working with a team to move water and sewer lines in Clarksville, Indiana, was trapped when a trench collapsed. Though rescued, the worker later died at the hospital.

Workers do not have to suffer serious and fatal injuries when performing trenching and excavation operations. Trenching hazards can be excavation-related incidents, including criminal referrals for federal or state prosecution to hold employers and others accountable when their actions or inactions kill workers or put their lives at risk. and excavation activities to act immediately and maintain efforts to ensure required protections are fully in place every single time their employees step down into or work near a trench.

To help the agency stay informed about trenching hazards, 30 OSHA compliance officers and enforcement staff participated in a training program in December 2022 in Crosby, Texas, at the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) National Training Fund training center. During this course, OSHA learned from IUOE instructors about the hazards that they experience during trenching and excavation activities.

We urge workers to contact their local OSHA or state plan office, or call 800-321-OSHA, if their employer requires working in or beside trenches that are not sloped, shored, or shielded and are five or more feet in depth, or if you are reading this article and know of or see worksites performing unsafe trenching activities.

OSHA stands ready to assist any employer who needs help with complying with our trenching and excavation requirements

U.S. Department of Labor

July 14, 2022