Working in trenches and excavations brings along a lot of risks and dangers. The most life threating of all the risks related to excavations are cave-ins. A cave-in is a situation wherein the walls of a trench collapse.
Cave-ins are considered really very deadly. This is because, the soil walls around the trench collapse without any warning. Thus, the worker, who is working inside the earth cavity, is left with almost no time for making an escape. The weight of the soil crushes down and twists the body. This might result in serious bodily injuries and, at times, even death. Excavations are dangerous irrespective of their depths. Thus, care must be taken for every one of the trenches that have been dug.
OSHA 30 Hour Construction courses teach the precautions that should be taken while working in an excavation. There are many reasons for walls collapsing in trenches. The walls are nothing more than undisturbed soil that is held in place due to various forces. In time, after digging, this soil succumbs to the earth's gravity and falls into the cavity. Cave-ins occur mostly where excavations are done in unstable soil, or soil that has been dug into before. Also, their chances increase when water gets collected in the trench.
The precautionary controls include pumping out water from the excavations and employing the use of protective systems as and how required. OSHA 30 Hour Construction stresses that proper surveys should be carried out before starting work on construction sites.
Cave-ins are considered really very deadly. This is because, the soil walls around the trench collapse without any warning. Thus, the worker, who is working inside the earth cavity, is left with almost no time for making an escape. The weight of the soil crushes down and twists the body. This might result in serious bodily injuries and, at times, even death. Excavations are dangerous irrespective of their depths. Thus, care must be taken for every one of the trenches that have been dug.
OSHA 30 Hour Construction courses teach the precautions that should be taken while working in an excavation. There are many reasons for walls collapsing in trenches. The walls are nothing more than undisturbed soil that is held in place due to various forces. In time, after digging, this soil succumbs to the earth's gravity and falls into the cavity. Cave-ins occur mostly where excavations are done in unstable soil, or soil that has been dug into before. Also, their chances increase when water gets collected in the trench.
The precautionary controls include pumping out water from the excavations and employing the use of protective systems as and how required. OSHA 30 Hour Construction stresses that proper surveys should be carried out before starting work on construction sites.
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