Trench collapse

[suladas]

Another thing to consider isn't always the depth but the width of a trench. A 5' wide trench the same depth as one 2' wide is infinitely safer, also depends what you're doing in there, standing it in is far different from having to crouch down to do something. I nearly walked away from an excavation this summer 12' down and no room to cut back banks, told them it was going to be extra for a trench box or I wasn't doing the job, and they agreed to pay it.

I will admit I do go in trenches deeper then 5' without cut backs, virtually everyone, if not everyone does. For basements no one benches even 7'-8' cuts provided it's decent soil unless it's a commercial job. A lot of it is experience and knowing the soil. But you also don't expect someone to go in a trench you dig unless you'll go in it yourself.

There was a worker here killed a few years ago, the excavator and home builder were fined in the 6 digit area if I remember right.

 

[John C.]

Here's the official line from OSHA.

https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/national/07142022

They says 22 people dead in the first six months of 2022.

 

[skyking1]

^ statistics like that have set the shoring requirements at 4'. We don't mess around with that. it gets shored or I take off whatever I need to get that off the top of the sides and ends.
The 20 ton tilt trailer we have came from TomCat's estate. He watched his wife ride the bank in when he was digging between a house and a fence. She was shooting grade from the edge of the dig with a grade rod. Technically she was not in the hole, but some shoring would have saved her life.
It is not just some strangers out there having a bad day, it's somebody's son or daughter or in his case, his wife.
He was never the same. I can't imagine being in the excavator and watch the dirt push the life out of somebody.

 

[suladas]

^ statistics like that have set the shoring requirements at 4'. We don't mess around with that. it gets shored or I take off whatever I need to get that off the top of the sides and ends.
The 20 ton tilt trailer we have came from TomCat's estate. He watched his wife ride the bank in when he was digging between a house and a fence. She was shooting grade from the edge of the dig with a grade rod. Technically she was not in the hole, but some shoring would have saved her life.
It is not just some strangers out there having a bad day, it's somebody's son or daughter or in his case, his wife.
He was never the same. I can't imagine being in the excavator and watch the dirt push the life out of somebody.

If there was guards and handrails and protection in everything it would save a lot more lives too, but there is a certain risk involved just in stepping outside each day and you can only do a reasonable amount, unless people want everything in life to cost 10x as much because it takes so long to do anything. No one should be walking on the edge of a bank unless there is a need to do so, and if they are need to be aware of the potential for it to cave in at any point. It's sad she died, but was either not paying attention or was not experienced.

There is an alarming amount of people who walk around completely oblivious to what is going on around them and those are exactly the type who have no business being in a trench. Even if it's shored it is not 100% safe something can still happen.

The 5' shoring requirement was made to take common sense out of the equation and for people who have zero experience from getting into trouble. Anyone who been around it long enough can tell minutes or hours before if and when a bank will cave in.

 

[skyking1]

If there was guards and handrails and protection in everything it would save a lot more lives too, but there is a certain risk involved just in stepping outside each day and you can only do a reasonable amount, unless people want everything in life to cost 10x as much because it takes so long to do anything. No one should be walking on the edge of a bank ( stop right there, either shore it or stay away ) unless there is a need to do so, and if they are need to be aware of the potential for it to cave in at any point. It's sad she died, but was either not paying attention or was not experienced. ( no, they were doing it the way you say is safe, they did it a hundred times before and nobody died )

There is an alarming amount of people who walk around completely oblivious to what is going on around them and those are exactly the type who have no business being in a trench. Even if it's shored it is not 100% safe something can still happen. ( no argument )

The 5' shoring requirement was made to ( save lives, nothing more ) take common sense out of the equation and for people who have zero experience from getting into trouble. Anyone who been around it long enough can tell minutes or hours before if and when a bank will cave in. ( that is absolute horse pucky. That the bank will cave in is inevitable, that is what mother nature does. When she does it is not predictable and people have died with that attitude )

 

[CM1995]

The 5' shoring requirement was made to take common sense out of the equation and for people who have zero experience from getting into trouble. Anyone who been around it long enough can tell minutes or hours before if and when a bank will cave in.

Yep I've heard the old timers say - "I've been going into trenches for 30 years with no problem" until the day they don't come back out.

There are many, many different soil classifications, types and consistencies. You're pretty good if you can tell hours before a bank caves in. So if you have to be in the ditch for 30 mins and you know the ditch will cave in 2 hours you're good to go.

Experience tells me that I've taken too many chances in my career doing stupid **** so my "winning" percentage is lower than it used to be, so I'll err on the side of caution and bench or shore it.

 

[DMiller]

Tempting fate works a few times then fate steps up to bat, not gonna win that one. Have not died, yet, from getting away with stupid sh!t but know when to back away as that sixth sense sets hairs standing up on my neck. Some just ignore or grow insensitive to the warnings.

 

[mks]

I live an hour south of that site.
Ground zero for a storm sewer project.
The sewer line made a turn in front of the house and continued down the street. Probably a 60 inch concrete pipe.
End of driveway collapsed into the installed protective shoring.
Many buildings in the general area have settled and some have been raised up or torn down.
After digging down a couple foundation walls to seal cracks and considering the consequences I have a much different view of it now.

 

[CM1995]

This happened back in 2019 when we were grading a Duluth Trading store in the general area.

7' trench and 2 dead. Lack of training, the language barrier and a company with no experience doing a job like this all contributed. No reason for 2 men to die for a drainage issue in someone's front yard.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/...rkers-trapped-in-drainage-ditch-collapse.html

 

[DMiller]

We just lost a ex co-worker at the Nuke, 58, lived Fulton MO. John started with the company after I had fully qualified as Operator as a Plant Helper, he worked up thru the testing and seniority advancement to work in Maintenance as a Mechanic/Machinist trainee then took a supervisory position there. He had bought some older scaffold the plant sold as was getting hard to deal with and a personal owner could utilize where was using it to hang Xmas lights. No one is positive, the ground is fairly level around his home, a slight depression or a mole run, the thought was he had it on plywood for the wheels, maybe forgot to lock one? but no one can validate for some reason yet the scaffold fell over with he on the upper platform 12' up. As normal No fall protection as homeowner, as scaffold fell John left the platform and hit his head they believe on a tree limb, broke his neck.

Lessons learned? Bad chance of Luck? He was trained as most on here have been as to Fall Protection in the Work Place, bad choice of scaffold use not much different than stepping into a trench uncertain of soundness as have done it a hundred times prior. We all take that one slim chance it won't go south in a hurry and most come away unscathed, some do not finish the trip.