Construction Basics: 5 Excavation Safety Rules to Keep in Mind

Construction’s dangerous, and that’s an understatement. In such a high-risk, outdoor industry, workers need to take all possible safety precautions.

Staying safe while excavating is paramount. Discover five excavation safety rules by reading on.

1. Dress for Success

Like with many endeavors in life, success in construction safety begins with what you wear. All workers should slap on some hard hats, work gloves, and approved safety glasses.

They should also sport reflective vests, hearing protection, and steel-toed or safety boots. Finally, they should use breathing barriers if there are unsafe fumes or dust around.

Be dressed to get wet if there’s hydro excavation.

2. Follow a Checklist

You should be able to check the following off your list of safety precautions.

All workers should be trained in First Aid. All workers should have received up-to-date Hepatitis A and B and Tetanus vaccinations.

Excavation sites should have a landline phone dedicated to emergencies. There should be a method for reporting accidents.

There must be sufficient first aid supplies on hand, too. Last, local emergency response units should be aware of the work going on at the site.

3. Take Special Precautions When Machines Are in Use

Only the dedicated and trained operator should sit or stand on any part of the machine if allowed to do so. Others are allowed to sit or stand on it only if it’s designed for that use.

Only trained operators alone should operate any machine. All workers should stand at least three meters away from any moving parts’ radius.

Workers shouldn’t move behind or in front of any machine unless they told the driver and the driver has acknowledged their intentions. Machine operators must be completely sober and alert.

4. More Precautions

As you collect soil, put it at least two meters away from the edge. Dig all wells and trenches at an angle of 45 degrees, all the way around.

If that’s impossible, use structures to support trenches’ and wells’ walls. Such structures are metal braces with flat surfaces on each end. They go from one wall to the directly opposing wall.

Braces should be put no more than every two meters. Also, keep heavy machinery as far away from the edge as possible when digging.

5. Safety After Hours

All work areas should be clearly marked and barricaded to protect on-lookers against accidents. Short of barricades, set up warning tape around the excavation.

In addition, place signs (with photos) to warn passersby of the area’s danger.

Stellar Excavation Safety

As the saying goes, safety first. That includes excavation safety. Failing to take all of the proper safety precautions at excavation sites could result in serious injuries or worse.

Excavation is a hard but necessary business. The least that any construction supervisor can do to protect their employees is to follow some basic safety rules.

Learn more about safety by hopping over to our Misc. section.