How many times do we see utility workers, sewer workers or construction workers working unprotected in trenches?
Trenches literally are filled with a variety of potential safety and environmental hazards. Cave-ins perhaps are the most feared trenching hazard as one cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a car. Asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen in a confined space is a major risk. So are inhalation of toxic fumes and drowning. ??
The fatality rate for excavation work is 112 percent higher than the rate for general construction. Did you know that trenches 20 feet or more in depth must be designed by a registered professional engineer?
