Responsibilities
Departments
Departments are expected to maintain safe and healthy living, learning, and working environments for faculty, staff, students, and visitors to our campus.
- Each department performing excavation work must appoint a "competent person(s)" to ensure compliance with this program.
- Departments must ensure that all persons designated as competent persons have attended Environmental Health & Safety competent person training.
- Departments must ensure that all persons entering excavations greater than four feet deep have attended Environmental Health & Safety awareness level training.
Competent Persons
Competent persons designated by the department will perform the following tasks once they have received training from Environmental Health & Safety:
- Be familiar with soil analysis and determine the class of soil for each excavation.
- Determine the appropriate protective system needed to prevent a potential cave-in. Be familiar with protective systems and how to use them.
- Determine the appropriate methods to eliminate or control for all hazards, including protection from a potential cave-in.
- Conduct site inspections in accordance with the requirements outlined in this program and maintain necessary documentation.
- Ensure employee training for all employees entering excavations greater than four feet deep.
- Ensure appropriate personal protective equipment is provided and worn.
Employees
Employees who work in or around excavations must:
- Follow the requirements of this program.
- Attend required training.
- Wear assigned personal protective equipment.
Environmental Health & Safety
Environmental Health & Safety will provide technical support, competent person and awareness level training, and oversight for this program. Involvement by Environmental Health & Safety does not relieve the departments, supervisors, or contractors of their individual responsibilities. Environmental Health & Safety responsibilities for this program include:
- Developing, implementing, and administering the program.
- Training on all aspects of the program requirements and maintaining centralized records.
- Serving as a technical resource.
- Providing guidance on the selection of protective systems.
- Evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program on a periodic basis and making appropriate changes as needed to assure the safety of personnel.
Contractors
Contractors must comply with all local, state, and federal safety requirements, and must assure that all employees performing work on Virginia Tech property have been suitably trained and are provided appropriate personal protective equipment per the Safety Requirements for Contractors and Subcontractors program. Contractors performing excavation work on university property must coordinate their work with the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities and Miss Utilities to assure related activities, such as utility identification, location, and shutdown are addressed.