Trenches

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## Support where heavy equipment used near edge 181 (3) Where powered mobile equipment or a mobile crane is used near the edge of an excavation or trench, an employer shall ensure that any shoring, bracing or ca -ging for the excavation or trench is adequate to support the increased pressure. ## Certificate of engineer respecting support 181 (4) An employer shall ensure that shoring, bracing or caging for an excavation or trench is certified as ade -quate by an engineer and shall make the proof of the cer -tification available to an officer on request. 2001-33 ## Entering excavation or trench 182 (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 unless - (a) the walls of the excavation or trench are sup -ported by shoring, bracing or caging, the excavation or trench is cut in solid rock or the excavation or trench is sloped or benched to within 1.2 m of the bot -tom of the excavation or trench with the slope not ex -ceeding 1 m of vertical rise to each 1 m of horizontal run, - (b) subsections 181(2), (3) and (4) have been com -plied with, - (c) loose material that may fall into the excavation or trench has been removed, and - (d) a ladder that extends at least 1 m above the ex -cavation or trench is installed no more than 15 m from where the employee is working or some other safe means of access and egress is provided. - 182 (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), an employee may enter an excavation 1.2 m or more in depth to install bracing if the employee remains a distance from the face of the excavation equal to or greater than the depth of the excavation. ## Soutènement des parois si utilisation de matériel lourd 181 (3) Lorsqu'un équipement mobile à moteur ou une grue mobile est utilisé près du bord d'une excavation ou d'une tranchée, l'employeur doit s'assurer que tout étayage, tout étrésillonnement ou tout encagemen…

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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…

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an excavation or trench and that adequate ventilation is provided in the excavation or trench. 2022-79 ## Observation of employee working in excavation or trench 185 Where an employee is working in an excavation or trench, an employer shall ensure that there is an em -ployee working on the surface who is able to observe the employee working in the excavation or trench. ## Material lowered into excavation or trench 186 An employer shall ensure that an operator of pow -ered mobile equipment or a mobile crane does not lower material into an excavation or trench, and no such opera -tor shall lower material into an excavation or trench, un -less - (a) the operator has unrestricted visibility, or - (b) a signaller is used to direct the movement of the material. 2001-33 187 An employee shall not move under or stay under any material being lowered into an excavation or trench. ## Illumination to prevent inadvertent entry 188 (1) An employer shall ensure that an excavation or trench is adequately illuminated - (a) when work is being carried out in or near the ex -cavation or trench, and - (b) by warning lights or reflective materials to pre -vent inadvertent entry. ## Barrier to protect workers 188 (2) An employer shall ensure that an adequate bar -rier is set up around the excavation or trench so as to protect employees working in the excavation or trench from vehicular traffic. 97-121 dans l'excavation ou la tranchée et qu'une ventilation adéquate y est assurée. 2022-79 ## Observation du salarié qui travaille dans une excavation ou une tranchée 185 Lorsqu'un salarié travaille dans une excavation ou une tranchée, l'employeur doit s'assurer qu'il y a un sa -larié travaillant à la surface qui puisse surveiller le sala -rié qui travaille dans l'excavation ou la tranchée. ## Descente de matériaux dans une excavation ou une tranchée 186 L'employeur doit s'assurer que le conducteur de l'équipement mobile à moteur ou d'une grue mo…

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- (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…

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## 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…