Excavation Safety

Miss Utility must be contacted (call 811 or 1-800-552-7001) at least 72 hours prior to digging, regardless of the anticipated depth or location to identify sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, water lines, fiber optics, etc.

It is highly recommended that photographs be taken of the markings made by Miss Utility prior to digging.

Digging shall not begin until proper clearance has been given as indicated on the ticket. The ticket number shall be entered on the Excavation Assessment Form. Excavators are required to keep the ticket number with them on the job site.

Appropriate authorities must be notified of gas or other hazardous substance leaks occurring during excavation activities. 

For more information, review the Miss Utility program.

Assessment

Complete an excavation assessment to identify all potential hazards and controls prior to entry. Document results and authorized entry on the Excavation Assessment Form.

Class "C" Soil

If personnel will be entering the excavation, the designated competent person must determine the appropriate protective system to prevent a potential cave-in. In most cases, soils at the Virginia Tech campus have been previously disturbed and are considered to be class "C" soil. Best practice is to assume the worst class of soil (class "C") and implement the appropriate protective system, such as:

• Using a trench box for the size and depth of the excavation to be entered, or
• Sloping the sides of the excavation back to a 1 1/2 H to 1 V (i.e. 34 degrees) slope or bench.

This practice should cover the majority of excavations performed by Virginia Tech personnel. Where it does not, and class "C" soil protective system requirements cannot be met, the competent person should contact Environmental Health & Safety for guidance, if necessary. Examples of when this practice is not feasible include bell-bottom pier holes or excavations where manufactured trench boxes are not available.

Yes. The owner's manual must be followed for proper use, maintenance, and care. If boxes are not designed for stacking, they must not be stacked. The top of the trench box should extend at least 18 inches past the top of the vertical wall.

No, provided the excavation is not greater than 20 feet deep.

Yes. Excavation Awareness level training is required. There are many hazards to persons in an excavation created by activities not performed in the excavation itself such as operating heavy machinery near the opening or objects falling into the excavation.

Not necessarily. The competent person must be present to identify situations that could result in hazardous conditions and to ensure that corrective measures are taken. Daily inspections prior to the start of work in the excavation are required, as well as throughout the shift as needed. It is therefore subject to the conditions present at each individual site whether or not a competent person is required to be present on-site at all times.

According to the latest interpretation from the OSHA Review Commission, if a worker can walk upright to the top of the ramp without holding onto anything, it will pass, even if walking up the ramp is a little difficult. If the worker must scramble up the incline on this hands and feet, or grip anything to assist his ascent, the incline is too steep and must be improved.

No. The competent person must ensure that the trench box used is appropriate for the situation, such as excavations greater than 20 feet deep.

Yes. This must be done to verify that the soil is not actually class C soil and must therefore have a more protective slope, bench, or shoring system. Class A soil/rock is extremely rare in Virginia.  Soil classification is basically performed to determine between class B and C soils for sloping/benching requirements.  

Is training mandatory? If so, when? Yes. Persons who work in or around excavations must attend this training.

Class length: 1 hour.

Available online: Yes.

When is refresher training required? Every 5 years.

Please see the online class schedule for more information.

Is training mandatory? If so, when? Yes. Persons who oversee excavations operations must attend this training.

Class length: 3 hours.

Available online: No.

When is refresher training required? Every 3 years.

Please see the online class schedule for more information.

Soil testing can be quite involved. Refer to 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P, Appendix A for more information. Information is also provided in EHS' Excavation Competent Person level training.

Yes; however, any special requirements for confined space situations, such as air monitoring and rescue, are already addressed in the excavation standard. A separate Confined Space Assessment Form does not need to be completed since an Excavation Assessment Form is already required and addresses such issues.

Yes, provided that personnel are at least two times the height of the vertical wall from the wall. Personnel entering the excavation must be instructed not to enter the “danger zone” and a warning system, such as roping off the area or marking it with cones, flags, or other highly visible means must be provided to prevent workers from entering the zone inadvertently.

No. Where the excavation is greater than 5 feet deep, protection must be provided against cave-ins where personnel will be entering. Note: protective systems are required for excavations greater than 4 feet deep at Virginia Tech.

An excavation is any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth's surface formed by earth removal.

At Virginia Tech, walkways or bridges with standard guardrails must be provided when personnel or equipment are required or permitted to cross over excavations only when the excavation is 4 feet or more in-depth and wider than 30 inches at the top.

Contact Robin McCall-Miller at 540-231-2341 or rmmiller@vt.edu.

You may also review OSHA's Excavation standard.

OSHA requires any excavation to be inspected prior to personnel entering to perform work by an Excavation Competent Person. This person must have received training to recognize excavation hazards and have the authority to correct those hazards.

Documents

Contact Information

Robin McCall-Miller, Occupational Safety Program Manager

Phone: 540-231-2341
Email: rmmiller@vt.edu