All employees who work in or near trenches and excavation equipment need to know the difference between trenching and excavation, and be aware of potential dangers associated with each.
Did you know that trench collapse/cave-in is not the only potential hazard in trenching? Other potential trenching hazards include underground and/or overhead utilities, heavy equipment, traffic control, materials handling, housekeeping and confined spaces.
Cave-in protection systems (sloping, trench boxes and shoring), as well as soil problems, environmental concerns and emergency response plans are a few of the topics covered in NLCSA’s Trenching and Excavation course.