Trench safety resources
The following list contains resources to help make trenching and excavating safer for workers. If you have questions about the following resources, or if you need help obtaining something not on the list, please contact the Ohio BWC Library at 614-466-7388, or email library@bwc.state.oh.us.
BWC resources
- Ohio BWC Library (PowerPoints, videos, handouts)
- Request a safety consultation
- Trench safety card (English)
- Trench safety card (Spanish)
- The BWC Learning Center has a recorded webinar – Trenching Overview: A Focus Four Initiative – that employers and their employees can view for free. Simply log in to the BWC Learning Center, search for Trenching Overview, click the link, and enroll. Employers who have not yet established a BWC Learning Center login can view instructions here.
- Trenching and Excavation: Daily Inspection Checklist (SH-59)
BWC employer safety publications
- Best Practices for Excavation
- Safety Manual for Excavation
- Ohio Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP) Fact Sheet
- BWC Safety Bulletin: Trenching Safety
Federal resources
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) trenching and excavation resource page
- NIOSH: Preventing Worker Deaths from Trench Cave-ins
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trenching and excavation resources
- OSHA: Trenching and excavation safety
- OSHA Alert: Keep Trenches Safe for Workers
- OSHA: Trenching Safety: 5 Things You Should Know to Stay Safe
- OSHA trenching and excavation construction eTool
- OSHA: Excavations in Construction/ Soil Classification
Rules and regulations
Other programs and/or requirements involved in the development and maintenance of your excavation and trenching efforts might include the references below. This list includes, but is not limited to, those references cited below.
- OAC 4123:1-3-13 Trenches and excavations
- 29 CFR 1904 - Recordkeeping and Reporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
- 29 CFR 1926.3 – Inspection, Rights of Entry
- 29 CFR 1926.16 – Rules of Construction
- 29 CFR 1926.21 Safety Training and Education
- 29 CFR 1926.50 – Medical Services and First Aid
- 29 CFR 1926.52 Occupational Noise Exposure
- 29 CFR 1926.55 Gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, and mists
- 29 CFR 1926.57 – Ventilation
- 29 CFR 1926.251 - Rigging equipment for material handling
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart E - Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart J - Welding and Cutting
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M - Fall Protection
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart O - Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P - Excavations
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA - Confined Spaces in Construction
- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC - Cranes and Derricks in Construction
- 29 CFR 1910.1200 – Hazard Communication
- 29 CFR 1910.146 – Permit Required Confined Spaces
- ANSI/ ASSP A10.12 - 1998 (R2016) – Safety Requirements for Excavation (contact the Ohio BWC Library)
- Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) - ODOT
- Ohio Revised Code - Title 37; 3781 – Sections 3781.25 – 3781.32
Additional resources
- OHIO811.org - Before You Dig
- Ohio County Emergency Management Directory: Local/County EMA contacts
- Resources to Promote Safe Work in Trenches from The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR)
- Excavation safety from Oregon OSHA
- National Underground Contractors Association Trench Safety Stand Down
- North American Excavation Shoring Association
- Utility Construction Safety from the Associated General Contractors of America
- Excavation Safety Checklist from The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University