Page 27 - Trench and Excavation

Chapter 4 - General Requirements and
the Competent Person

Inspection of the Trench

The following is a discussion of General Requirement items found in CFR 1926.651. As you will
see, much of the responsibility for the evaluation of each of these issues falls upon the Competent
Person. The Competent Person has the responsibility to inspect the trench and the area around
the trench for any hazard which could cause a cave-in or other hazard to the employees and the
keep employees out of the trench until the safety problem has been remedied. This person must
inspect the trench area for any evidence of a cave-in hazard, which might include:
• Fissures
• Tension cracks
• Sloughing
• Undercutting
• Water seepage
• Bulging at the bottom
• The protection system integrity should also be evaluated. Unlike any other worker, the
Competent Person may stand on the shoring system during the inspection process. Like
the other employees, the Competent Person may not enter a trench for inspection until all
appropriate protective systems are in place.
Daily inspections should evaluate the following:
• Visual and manual soil classification surface hazards (encumbrances)
• Water hazards
• Atmospheric hazards
• Vibration hazards
• Access and egress
• Spoil pile location
• Barricade and traffic control structure placement
• Utilities, underground structures’ locations, and protection
• Integrity of the protective system (hands-on and visual)
• Vehicular and other mobile surface hazards

Also included in this report should be
• The name and signature of the Competent Person
• Weather conditions
• Date and time of evaluation
While not required by OSHA, a trench log sheet should be filled out each of time an evaluation of
the trench is made. THE COMPETENT PERSON IS REQUIRED TO INSPECT THE TRENCH
AND EVALUATE THE HAZARDS PRIOR TO THE START OF WORK EACH DAY. ADDITIONAL
INSPECTIONS ARE REQUIRED AFTER ANY RAINSTORM OR AFTER ANY HAZARD
POTENTIAL-INCREASING EVENT (E.G. RAIN, VIBRATION, EARTHQUAKE, ETC.)

Atmospheric Testing

The Competent Person must test the atmosphere for hazards if they could reasonably be
expected to exist. This analysis would be required if the trench were being dug in a landfill, to

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