Excavation and trenching

Source excerpt

182 (3) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an employer shall ensure that an employee does not, and no employee shall, enter an excavation or trench 1.2 m or more in depth to install or remove shoring or caging from a posi -tion inside an excavation or a trench. 2001-33 ## Location of excavated material 183 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an employer shall en -sure that excavated material is kept at least 1.2 m away from the edge of an excavation or trench. - 183 (2) Where an excavation or trench is more than 1.8 m deep in rock, an employer shall ensure that - (a) excavated material is located back from the face of the excavation or trench a distance equal to at least the height of the excavated material, or - (b) a fence that is adequate to support the excavated material is erected at a minimum distance of 1 m from the face of the excavation or trench. ## Water 184 (1) An employer shall ensure that an excavation or trench in which an employee works is kept reasonably free of water. ## Testing for hazardous gas or oxygen deficiency 184 (2) Where an employee may be exposed to a haz -ardous gas or to an oxygen deficient or oxygen rich at -mosphere in an excavation or trench, an employer shall ensure that testing is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Part XVII before the employee enters the excavation or trench. ## Storage of hazardous substance prohibited 184 (3) An employer shall ensure that no hazardous substance is stored in an excavation or trench. ## Hazardous gases and adequacy of ventilation 184 (4) An employer shall ensure that precautions are taken to prevent the accumulation of hazardous gases in 182 (3) Par dérogation au paragraphe (1), l'employeur doit s'assurer qu'un salarié ne pénètre pas, et aucun sala -rié ne peut pénétrer dans une excavation ou une tranchée de 1,2 m au moins de profondeur pour installer ou retirer de l'étayage ou de l'encagement à partir de l'intérieur de l'excavation ou de la t…

Source excerpt

## S-15.1 REG 10 ## OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, 2020 - (d) an excavation or trench that a worker may be required or permitted to enter is kept free from any accumulation of water; and - (e) the slope of a spoil pile adjacent to an excavation or trench has a slope at an angle not steeper than 1 horizontal to 1 vertical, or 45 measured from ° the horizontal. - (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), if a wall of an excavation or trench is cut back, an employer or contractor shall ensure that: - (a) in the case of type 1 or type 2 soil, the walls are sloped to within 1.2 metres of the bottom of the excavation or trench, with a slope at an angle not steeper than 1 horizontal to 1 vertical, or 45 measured from the horizontal; ° - (b) in the case of type 3 soil, the walls are sloped from the bottom of the excavation or trench, with a slope at an angle not steeper than 1 horizontal to 1 vertical, or 45 measured from the horizontal; and ° - (c) in the case of type 4 soil, the walls are sloped from the bottom of the excavation or trench, with a slope at an angle not steeper than 3 horizontal to 1 vertical, or 19 measured from the horizontal. ° - (3) If an excavation or trench contains more than 1 type of soil, the soil must be classified as the soil type with the highest number. - (4) Subsection (2) does not apply to an excavation or trench that is cut in sound and stable rock. - (5) If an excavation or trench is to be made in the vicinity of an overhead power line, an employer or contractor shall ensure that the work is carried out in a manner that will not reduce the original support provided for any overhead power line pole, unless permission has previously been obtained from the utility company responsible for the overhead power line. - (6) An employer or contractor shall ensure that no powered mobile equipment or vehicle is operated, and that no powered mobile equipment, vehicle or heavy load is located, near an excavation or trench so as to affect the stabili…

Source excerpt

## 29 CFR 1926 (OSHA) - (iii) Adequate precaution shall be taken such as providing ventilation, to prevent employee exposure to an atmosphere containing a concentration of a flammable gas in excess of 20 percent of the lower flammable limit of the gas. - (iv) When controls are used that are intended to reduce the level of atmospheric contaminants to acceptable levels, testing shall be conducted as often as necessary to ensure that the atmosphere remains safe. - (2) Emergency rescue equipment. (i) Emergency rescue equipment, such as breathing apparatus, a safety harness and line, or a basket stretcher, shall be readily available where hazardous atmospheric conditions exist or may reasonably be expected to develop during work in an excavation. This equipment shall be attended when in use. - (ii) Employees entering bell-bottom pier holes, or other similar deep and confined footing excavations, shall wear a harness with a life-line securely attached to it. The lifeline shall be separate from any line used to handle materials, and shall be individually attended at all times while the employee wearing the lifeline is in the excavation. - (h) Protection from hazards associated with water accumulation. (1) Employees shall not work in excavations in which there is accumulated water, or in excavations in which water is accumulating, unless adequate precautions have been taken to protect employees against the hazards posed by water accumulation. The precautions necessary to protect employees adequately vary with each situation, but could include special support or shield systems to protect from cave-ins, water removal to control the level of accumulating water, or use of a safety harness and lifeline. - (2) If water is controlled or prevented from accumulating by the use of water removal equipment, the water removal equipment and operations shall be monitored by a competent person to ensure proper operation. - (3) If excavation work interrupts the natural drainage of surface …

Source excerpt

## OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, 2020 S-15.1 REG 10 - (6) If a worker is required to enter a trench, an employer or contractor shall: - (a) install ladders, stairways or ramps to provide a safe means of entrance to and exit from the trench; and - (b) ensure that the ladder, stairway or ramp is located not more than 8 metres from a worker working in the trench. - (7) An employer or contractor shall ensure that workers are instructed in and comply with the requirements of this section. 31 Dec 2020 c S-15.1 Reg 10 s17-7. ## Excavated shafts and tunnels - 17-8 (1) An employer or contractor shall ensure that: - (a) during excavating, the walls of an excavated shaft or tunnel are retained by temporary protective structures that are adequate: - (i) for the type of soil; and - (ii) to prevent collapse or cave-in of the walls of the excavated shaft or tunnel; - (b) during the excavating of an excavated shaft that is 3 metres or more deep or of a tunnel, the walls of the shaft or tunnel are retained by temporary protective structures designed and certified by a professional engineer to be adequate for the protection of workers in the shaft or tunnel and constructed, installed, used, maintained and dismantled in accordance with that design; - (c) a solid or wire mesh fence at least 1 metre high, or other equally effective means of preventing material from falling into an excavated shaft or the surface opening of a tunnel, is provided around that shaft or opening; and - (d) substantial gates that are not less than 1 metre high are installed in every opening in a fence provided pursuant to clause (c) and the gates are kept closed except when being used. - (2) A worker who opens a gate mentioned in clause (1) (d) shall close the gate after the worker no longer has a need to keep the gate open. - (3) An employer or contractor shall provide suitable equipment to keep a tunnel or excavated shaft free from any accumulation of water. 31 Dec 2020 c S-15.1 Reg 10 s17-8. ## Bor…

Source excerpt

## OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, 2020 ## Application of Part 17-2 This Part applies to excavations, trenches, tunnels and excavated shafts other than excavations, trenches, tunnels and excavated shafts that are governed by The Mines Regulations . 31 Dec 2020 c S-15.1 Reg 10 s17-2. ## Locating underground pipelines, etc. - 17-3 (1) An employer or contractor shall accurately establish the location of all underground pipelines, cables and conduits in an area where work is to be done and shall ensure that those locations are conspicuously marked: - (a) before commencing work using power tools or powered mobile equipment on an excavation, trench, tunnel, excavated shaft or borehole; or - (b) before breaking ground surface with any equipment to a depth that may contact underground utilities. - (2) If an operation is to be undertaken involving the disturbance of soil within 600 millimetres of an existing pipeline, cable or conduit, an employer or contractor shall ensure that the pipeline, cable or conduit is exposed by hand digging or other approved method before mechanical excavating is allowed to begin within that area. - (3) If an operation mentioned in subsection (2) exposes a pipeline, cable or conduit, an employer or contractor shall ensure that the pipeline, cable or conduit is supported to prevent any damage during backfilling and any subsequent settlement of the ground. - (4) If there is contact with or damage to an underground pipeline, cable or conduit, an employer or contractor shall immediately: - (a) notify the owner of the pipeline, cable or conduit that contact or damage has occurred; and - (b) take steps to protect the health and safety of any worker who may be at risk until any unsafe condition resulting from the contact or damage is repaired or corrected. 31 Dec 2020 c S-15.1 Reg 10 s17-3. ## Excavating and trenching - 17-4 (1) An employer or contractor shall ensure that: - (a) before excavating or trenching begins, if the stability of a struct…

Source excerpt

- (a) cutting back the walls of the excavation to reduce the height of the remaining vertical walls, if any, to no more than 1.5 metres for 'hard and compact soil' and 'likely to crack or crumble soil', - (b) installing temporary protective structures, or - (c) using a combination of the methods in clauses (a) and (b). 450 (2) Subsection (1) does not apply if a trench is constructed in solid rock throughout the entire trench. ## Cutting back walls - 451 If the walls of an excavation are cut back, an employer must ensure that - (a) if the soil is classified as 'hard and compact soil', the walls are sloped to within 1.5 metres of the bottom of the excavation at an angle of not less than 30 degrees measured from the vertical, - (b) if the soil is classified as 'likely to crack or crumble soil', the walls are sloped to within 1.5 metres of the bottom of the excavation at an angle of not less than 45 degrees measured from the vertical, and - (c) if the soil is classified as 'soft, sandy or loose soil', the walls are sloped from the bottom of the excavation at an angle of not less than 45 degrees measured from the vertical. ## Loose materials 452 An employer must ensure that loose materials are scaled and trimmed from the sides of an excavation if workers may be on or near the sides. ## Spoil piles - 453 An employer must ensure that a spoil pile is piled so that - (a) the leading edge of the pile is at least 1 metre away from the edge of the excavation, - (b) the slope of a spoil pile adjacent to the excavation is at an angle of not more than 45 degrees from the horizontal, and - (c) loose materials are scaled and trimmed from the spoil pile. ## Power pole support 454 An employer must ensure that work that disturbs the ground in the vicinity of an overhead power line is performed in a manner that does not reduce the original support provided for power line poles. ## Safe entry and exit 455 (1) An employer must ensure that if a worker is required to enter a tren…