Following standard operating procedures, such as using shoring to prevent trench cave-ins, is critical for ensuring worker safety.
Trenches are among the most dangerous work environments that utility workers and contractors encounter. I have spoken to hundreds of pipe repair professionals across the country about this issue, and do everything I can to ensure it’s taken seriously. While the threat of being killed can’t be understated, an injury that leaves a worker disabled can be nearly as devastating. The costs in terms of lost wages, medical expenses and home care are staggering, and can change lives forever.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there are an average of 54 deaths per year involving trench work and cave-ins in the U.S. alone, with more than 1,000 injured. The tragedy of these statistics is that many of these accidents are preventable by simply having the right people on site with the right equipment and knowledge. Here are four critical steps to prevent and reduce trench accidents, and help ensure that workers come home safely after working within trenches.
1. Don’t Take Shortcuts
Probably the simplest and most effective action to prevent trench accidents is to stop taking shortcuts and do what’s required to maintain safety. Sometimes installers won’t use a trench box, for example, because they’ll only be in the ditch for short time. At one job site, I heard a worker say it wasn’t a problem because “nothing’s happened yet.”
This kind of mentality is short-sighted and dangerous. Due to gravity and pressure on the walls of the ditch, a trench naturally wants to cave in. You might have gotten away with not having the proper equipment or safety standard operating procedures thus far, but that just means you could be getting closer to a time when you will have an accident.
Standard operating procedures need to be created and, more importantly, followed — every time without exception. These include making sure you have the tools you need, such as trench boxes, ladders, gas detectors and other equipment required for successful trench repair operations. These procedures must also include having a competent person on site who has the combination of training and on-the-job experience in soil analysis and protective systems (e.g., shoring, sloping and shielding) to properly oversee the safety of the operation.
A competent person, usually the crew leader, should evaluate the ditch prior to anyone entering it, and identify and evaluate hazards on a continuous basis throughout the job. Most critically important, a competent person must have the authority to correct any hazards to the point of shutting down an operation if necessary. Any employee should have the ability to stop a job for these same reasons or refuse to enter a job that they consider hazardous. This is not a popular decision sometimes but taking this kind of action should be acceptable within the context of maintaining a safe work environment.
2. Get the Proper Training
Before even setting foot in a trench, all workers should have received proper training to help them stay safe while working in a ditch. The National Safety Council, the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and many private companies provide the kind of training that all workers need to have. These classes include shoring, ditch safety and training to have a competent person on work sites. It is also critical to stay current with certifications as required for each one.
When Time Is of the Essence
Using the right products can help minimize time in the ditch and increase worker safety. A new coupling from Krausz USA, for example, has a gasket that can be quickly and easily adjusted to fit a range of pipe ODs.
The HYMAX 2 Flip Gasket is the latest version of the HYMAX coupling that has two top-facing bolts, wide range and dynamic deflection of up to 4° on each end to reduce pipe damage. The flip gasket gives installers the flexibility to quickly adjust the width of the coupling’s gasket to accommodate different pipe ODs within the product range. If the gasket is too small, it can be flipped out to allow for more space. If the gasket is too big, it can be flipped back in to make the size smaller. Gasket removal mistakes are also eliminated because the gasket’s size can be adjusted as necessary without ripping out one of the gasket layers.
