MARCH 2024CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONBEYOND THE TOPSOIL­EXCAVATION SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTIONBy Reid C. Lenhart, CSP, Safety Director, Concrete StrategiesSince the implementation of the Trenching and Excavation OSHA Compliance Directive in 1985, the plan remained the same for 33 years up until 2018, when OSHA revitalized their efforts with their new National Emphasis Program on trenching and excavation. The renewed emphasis came after 130 fatalities were recorded in trenching and excavation operations between 2011 to 2016. The private construction industry made up 80 percent of those fatalities. Of those construction fatalities, 49 percent occurred between 2015 to 2016. OSHA needed to reinvigorate the dated Compliance Directive with their new National Emphasis Program on October 1st, 2018. Alarmingly, even after the NEP, the U.S. death toll more than doubled from 2021, in which there were 15 fatalities, to 2022 with 39 workers losing their lives in trenching and excavation operations.OSHA In ActionOn the enforcement side, OSHA is expecting to conduct over 1,000 inspections of excavations annually. Under the NEP, a compliance safety and health officer shall initiate a trench and excavation inspection if one is observed with or without visible violations during normal work-day travel while conducting programmed or unprogrammed inspections. Community outreach is also a priority under the NEP which includes letters, news releases, seminars for employers, and trade associations. OSHA offers a plethora of resources that can be found at OSHA.gov in English and Spanish that deciphers the technical language found in 29 CFR 1926. In efforts to further simplify the overwhelming amount of information about trench and excavation safety, OSHA is providing Reid C. Lenhart
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