Am I In Danger?
Excavated
material (spoils) at your site are hazardous if they are set too
close to the edge of a trench/excavation. The weight of the spoils
can cause a cave-in, or spoils and equipment can roll back on top
of workers, causing serious injuries or death.
How Do I Avoid Hazards?
Provide protection by one or more of the following:
- Set spoils
and equipment at least 2 feet back from the excavation.
- Use
retaining devices, such as a trench box, that will extend above the top of the trench to
prevent equipment and spoils from falling back into the excavation.
- Where
the site does not permit a 2-foot set back, spoils may need to be
temporarily hauled to another location.
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The spoil pile is required to be at least 2 feet from the edge of
the trench and/or retained to prevent it from falling into the
trench.
Unsafe Spoil-Pile Placements
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