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Digging

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Toolbox Talk: Safe Digging Practices

Date: [DATE] Duration: [DURATION] minutes Presenter: [PRESENTER NAME] Location: [LOCATION]

Objective

To ensure all workers understand the hazards associated with digging and excavation work, and to implement safe work practices to prevent injuries and damage to underground utilities.

Introduction

Digging and excavation are common tasks on many job sites, but they can also be very dangerous. Striking underground utilities can result in electrocution, explosions, or service disruptions. Cave-ins can cause serious injuries or fatalities. It is crucial to follow safe digging practices to protect ourselves and others [1].

Presenter Note: Engage the audience by asking if anyone has personal experience related to the topic.

Key Points

  • Identify Underground Utilities: Always locate and mark underground utilities before digging [1].
  • Hand Digging: When working close to utilities, use hand digging to expose them [1].
  • Soil Stability: Understand the different types of soil and the appropriate shoring or sloping techniques [2].
  • Safe Access: Ensure safe entry and exit points for excavations [3].
  • Equipment Safety: Operate equipment safely and maintain a safe distance from the edges of excavations [1].

Hazard Identification

  • Underground Utilities: Contacting underground pipelines, cables, or conduits can lead to explosions, electrocution, or service disruptions [1].
  • Cave-ins: Unstable soil can collapse, burying or crushing workers [3].
  • Falling Objects: Equipment, spoil piles, or materials falling into the excavation can cause injury [1].
  • Water Accumulation: Water accumulation in the excavation can create a drowning hazard or destabilize the soil [3].
  • Equipment Hazards: Equipment rolling into the excavation [4].

Presenter Note: Encourage participants to share any additional hazards they've encountered.

Control Measures

  • Elimination: If possible, eliminate the need for digging by using alternative methods.
  • Engineering Controls: Use shoring, sloping, or trench boxes to prevent cave-ins [4].
  • Administrative Controls: Implement safe work procedures, conduct regular inspections, and provide training [1].
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear appropriate PPE, such as hard hats, safety glasses, and high-visibility clothing.

Safe Work Procedures

  1. Locate Utilities: Before digging, accurately establish the location of all underground pipelines, cables, and conduits in the area [1].
  2. Mark Locations: Ensure that the locations of underground utilities are conspicuously marked [1].
  3. Hand Digging: If disturbing soil within 600mm of a pipeline, cable, or conduit, expose it by hand digging [1].
  4. Support Exposed Utilities: If a pipeline, cable, or conduit is exposed, support it to prevent damage during backfilling [1].
  5. Maintain Distance: Keep equipment, spoil piles, rocks, and construction materials at least 1 meter from the edge of the excavation [1].

Presenter Note: If possible, demonstrate the safe work procedure or use visual aids.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements

  • Hard Hat: Always wear a hard hat to protect against falling objects.
  • Safety Glasses: Use safety glasses to protect your eyes from dust and debris.
  • High-Visibility Clothing: Wear high-visibility clothing to ensure you are seen by equipment operators and other workers.

[Emphasize the importance of proper PPE use and maintenance]

Real-World Example or Case Study

[Provide a detailed description of a relevant real-world scenario or case study]

[Discuss what went wrong or right, and the lessons learned]

Presenter Note: Ask participants if they can relate this example to their own experiences.

Group Discussion

Discuss the following questions:

  1. What are the potential consequences of hitting an underground utility?
  2. What are the different types of soil, and how do they affect excavation safety?
  3. What steps can we take to prevent cave-ins?

Presenter Note: Encourage active participation and facilitate the discussion.

Emergency Procedures

  1. Evacuate: If there is a cave-in or utility strike, evacuate the area immediately.
  2. Notify: Notify the supervisor and emergency services.
  3. First Aid: Provide first aid to any injured workers.
  4. Secure the Area: Prevent unauthorized access to the area until it is safe.

Questions and Answers

[Encourage participants to ask questions]

[Provide answers to common questions related to the topic]

  • Q: What do I do if I hit a gas line?

A: Evacuate the area immediately and call the gas company and emergency services.

  • Q: How do I know what type of soil I'm dealing with?

A: Conduct a soil test or consult with a qualified engineer.

  • Q: What is the safe distance to keep equipment from the edge of an excavation?

A: At least 1 meter [1].

Summary

  • Always locate and mark underground utilities before digging [1].
  • Use hand digging when working close to utilities [1].
  • Understand soil types and implement appropriate shoring or sloping techniques [2].
  • Ensure safe access to excavations [3].
  • Operate equipment safely and maintain a safe distance from excavation edges [1].

Action Items

  1. Review the site-specific excavation plan.
  2. Inspect all digging equipment before use.
  3. Report any unsafe conditions to your supervisor.

Remember: Dig safely, every time!

Report all hazards, near-misses, and incidents to your supervisor immediately.

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4 source record(s)

Sources used for this answer

[1] Occupational Health and Safety Code

Page 230

Open source document

Source excerpt

- (b) it is easy to excavate with hand tools; - (c) it is solid in appearance but flows or becomes unstable when disturbed; - (d) it runs easily into a well-defined conical pile when dry; - (e) it appears to be wet; - (f) it is granular below the water table, unless water has been removed from it; - (g) it exerts substantial hydraulic pressure when a support system is used. 442 (4) If an excavation contains soil of more than one soil type, for the purposes of this Part an employer must operate as if all of it is the soil type with the least stability. ## Soil stabilization - 443 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an employer must stabilize the soil in - (a) an excavation by shoring or cutting back, or - (b) a tunnel, underground shaft or pit by shoring. - 443 (2) An employer may stabilize the soil in an excavation, tunnel, underground shaft or pit using an artificial soil stabilization technique, including freezing soil by artificial means or grouting if the process used is - (a) designed by a professional engineer to control soil conditions, and - (b) performed in accordance with the professional engineer's specifications. 443 (3) A person must not use natural freezing of the soil as an alternative or partial alternative to a temporary protective structure, or to stabilize the soil in an excavation, tunnel or underground shaft. AR 191/2021 s443;242/2022 ## Marking an excavation 444 If there is a danger of a worker or equipment falling into an excavation, an employer must ensure that workers are made aware of the excavation through flagging, marking, safeguards or other appropriate and effective means. ## Water hazard 445 An employer must ensure that an excavation that a worker may be required or permitted to enter is kept free of an accumulation of water that may pose a hazard to the worker. ## Worker access 446 (1) An employer must provide workers with a safe means of entering and leaving an excavation, tunnel or underground shaft. 446 (2) An employer must …

[2] Occupational Health and Safety Code

Page 235

Open source document

Source excerpt

- 457 (4) Despite section 456, an employer may install additional protection certified by a professional engineer in trenches to compensate for passing vehicular traffic, working machinery or a heavy object placed within a distance equal to the depth of the trench, measured from the near edge of the bottom of the trench to the traffic, machinery or heavy object. - 457 (5) Despite section 456, an employer may install additional protection certified by a professional engineer in a trench to compensate for the stress created because the trench is adjacent to or abuts a building or other structure. ## Installation of shoring, stringers or bracing - 458 (1) An employer must ensure that a worker who installs shoring, stringers or bracing uses a ladder and works down from the top of the trench, installing each brace in descending order. - 458 (2) An employer must ensure that a worker who removes shoring, stringers or bracing uses a ladder and works upward from the bottom of the trench, removing each brace in ascending order. - 458 (3) A worker must install shoring, stringers or bracing in accordance with subsection (1) and remove them in accordance with subsection (2). - 458 (4) Despite subsections (2) and (3), if the quality of the ground in which a trench has been dug has deteriorated during operations to the extent that it is unsafe to use the method of removal required by subsection (2), an employer must ensure that the shoring, stringers or bracing are removed using a method that does not require the worker to be in the trench. ## Access for powered mobile equipment - 459 An employer must ensure that the open side of an excavation or a route used by powered mobile equipment to gain access to an excavation has a barrier high enough to stop the equipment from sliding or rolling into the excavation. ## Dumping block - 460 An employer must ensure that if powered mobile equipment may go over a bank or enter a dump opening while it is discharging its load, the equipme…

[3] Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 (Sask. Reg. 10/2020)

Page 143

Open source document

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…

[4] Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 (Sask. Reg. 10/2020)

Page 141

Open source document

Source excerpt

## PART 17 ## Excavations, Trenches, Tunnels and Excavated Shafts ## Definitions for Part 17-1 In this Part: 'sheeting' means the members of a shoring system that retain the earth in position and, in turn, are supported by other members of the shoring system, and includes uprights placed so that individual members are closely spaced, in contact with or interconnected to each other; 'shoring' means an assembly of structural members designed to prevent earth or material from falling or sliding into an excavation; 'spoil pile' means material excavated from an excavation, trench, tunnel or excavated shaft; 'temporary protective structure' means a structure or device in an excavation, trench, tunnel or excavated shaft that is designed to provide protection from cave-ins, collapse, sliding or rolling materials, and includes shoring, boxes, trench shields and similar structures; 'type 1 soil' means soil that most closely exhibits the following characteristics: - (a) is hard in consistency, very dense in compactive condition and, if a standard penetration test is performed, has a standard penetration resistance of greater than 50 blows per 300 millimetres; - (b) can be penetrated only with difficulty by a small, sharp object; - (c) has a dry appearance; - (d) has no signs of water seepage; - (e) can be excavated only by mechanical equipment; - (f) does not include previously excavated soils; 'type 2 soil' means soil that most closely exhibits the following characteristics: - (a) is very stiff in consistency, dense in compactive condition and, if a standard penetration test is performed, has a standard penetration resistance of 30 to 50 blows per 300 millimetres; - (b) can be penetrated with moderate difficulty by a small, sharp object; - (c) is difficult to excavate with hand tools; - (d) has a low to medium natural moisture content and a damp appearance after it is excavated; - (e) has no signs of water seepage; - (f) does not include p…

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