Excavations (including Trenches)

Before excavation work begins, the Contractor should be familiar with and follow the regulations found in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P – Excavations. The following are general rules and procedures that should be followed during excavation and trenching operations:

• New Jersey state law requires that prior to excavation, the location of underground installations (e.g., sewer, telephone, electrical, fuel, natural gas, water and other lines, and underground tanks) must be identified and marked out. New Jersey One Call (1-800-272-1000) must be called three (3) full working days before the excavation is planned to begin.
  
• Excavations more than twenty feet deep should be designed by a registered professional engineer.
  
• Appropriate safety practices should include a daily inspection of the excavation, adjacent areas, and protective systems by a competent person, i.e., someone who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions that are hazardous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
  
• Any material or equipment that could fall or roll into an excavation should be placed at least two feet from the edge of the excavation.
  
• Workers should be protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system, except when excavations are made entirely in stable rock or when the excavations are less than five feet in depth and examination of the ground by a competent person provides no indication of a potential cave-in.
  
• When used, sloping should be adequate for the type of soil, as determined by a competent person.
  
• Trench boxes or shields should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, or as designed and approved by a registered professional engineer.
  
• Ramps, runways, ladders, or stairs used as access should be within 25 feet of a work area if the trench is greater than four feet deep.
  
• A warning system for pedestrian and vehicular traffic should be in place around all excavations. The warning system should consist of barricades, hand or mechanical signals, or stop logs and flashing lights at night.
  
• Adequate protection from hazards associated with water accumulation should be in place before working in excavations.
  
• Workers exposed to public vehicular traffic should be provided with and wear reflectorized warning vests.
  
• Where workers or equipment are expected to cross over an excavation, walkways with standard guardrails should be provided.

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