water main and sewer installation

Source excerpt

Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division ## SPECIFIC EXCAVATION REQUIREMENTS - (ii) Adequate precautions shall be taken to prevent employee exposure to atmospheres containing less than 19.5 percent oxygen and other hazardous atmospheres. These precautions include providing proper respiratory protection or ventilation in accordance with subparts D and E of this part respectively. - (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 sy…

Source excerpt

<!-- image --> ## SPECIFIC EXCAVATION REQUIREMENTS Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (ii) Ramps and runways constructed of two or more structural members shall have the structural members connected together to prevent displacement. - (iii) Structural members used for ramps and runways shall be of uniform thickness. - (iv) Cleats or other appropriate means used to connect runway structural members shall be attached to the bottom of the runway or shall be attached in a manner to prevent tripping. - (v) Structural ramps used in lieu of steps shall be provided with cleats or other surface treatments on the top surface to prevent slipping. - (2) Means of egress from trench excavations. A stairway, ladder, ramp or other safe means of egress shall be located in trench excavations that are 4 feet (1.22 m) or more in depth so as to require no more than 25 feet (7.62 m) of lateral travel for employees. - (d) Exposure to vehicular traffic. Employees exposed to public vehicular traffic shall be provided with, and shall wear, warning vests or other suitable garments marked with or made of reflectorized or high-visibility material. - (e) Exposure to falling loads. No employee shall be permitted underneath loads handled by lifting or digging equipment. Employees shall be required to stand away from any vehicle being loaded or unloaded to avoid being struck by any spillage or falling materials. Operators may remain in the cabs of vehicles being loaded or unloaded when the vehicles are equipped, in accordance with §1926.601(b)(6), to provide adequate protection for the operator during loading and unloading operations. - (f) Warning system for mobile equipment. When mobile equipment is operated adjacent to an excavation, or when such equipment is required to approach the edge of an excavation, and the operator does not have a clear and direct view of the edge of the excavation, a warning system shall be utilized such as barricades, han…

Source excerpt

## SPECIFIC EXCAVATION REQUIREMENTS / UNDERGROUND INSTALLATIONS ## §1926.651 Specific Excavation Requirements. [redacted phone] Underground Installations. In addition to and not in lieu of any rules relating to 'underground installations' adopted in Oregon Administrative Rules, Chapter 437, the following Oregon Revised Statutes and Oregon Administrative Rules administered by the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) shall apply: - 1. ORS 757.541 through 757.571; and - 2. OAR [redacted phone] and OAR [redacted phone]. - (a) Surface encumbrances. All surface encumbrances that are located so as to create a hazard to employees shall be removed or supported, as necessary, to safeguard employees. Stat. Auth.: ORS 654.025(2) and 656.726(4). Stats. Implemented: ORS 654.001 through 654.295. Hist: OR-OSHA Admin. Order 8-1990, f. 3/30/90, ef. 9/1/90. OR-OSHA Admin. Order 4-2011, f. 12/8/11, ef. 12/8/11. ## (b) Underground installations. - (1) The estimated location of utility installations, such as sewer, telephone, fuel, electric, water lines, or any other underground installations that reasonably may be expected to be encountered during excavation work, shall be determined prior to opening an excavation. Note: 1910.651(b)(2) was NOT adopted by OR-OSHA. In Oregon OAR [redacted phone] (printed in italics above) applies. - (3) When excavation operations approach the estimated location of underground installations, the exact location of the installations shall be determined by safe and acceptable means. - (4) While the excavation is open, underground installations shall be protected, supported or removed as necessary to safeguard employees. ## (c) Access and egress. ## (1) Structural ramps. - (i) Structural ramps that are used solely by employees as a means of access or egress from excavations shall be designed by a competent person. Structural ramps used for access or egress of equipment shall be designed by a competent person qualified in structural des…

Source excerpt

Division 2 AO 6-2017 Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (i) Metal measuring tapes, metal measuring ropes, or tapes containing conductive strands may not be used when working near exposed energized parts. - (ii) Where it is necessary to measure clearances from energized parts, only non-conductive devices shall be used. - (o) Underground lines. The provisions of this paragraph apply to the guarding of manholes and street openings, and to the ventilation and testing for gas in manholes and unvented vaults, where telecommunications field work is performed on or with underground lines. - (1) Guarding manholes and street openings. - (i) When covers of manholes or vaults are removed, the opening shall be promptly guarded by a railing, temporary cover, or other suitable temporary barrier which is appropriate to prevent an accidental fall through the opening and to protect employees working in the manhole from foreign objects entering the manhole. - (ii) While work is being performed in the manhole, a person with basic first aid training shall be immediately available to render assistance if there is cause for believing that a safety hazard exists, and if the requirements contained in paragraphs (d)(1) and (o)(1)(i) of this section do not adequately protect the employee(s). Examples of manhole work site hazards which shall be considered to constitute a safety hazard include, but are not limited to: - (A) Manhole work sites where safety hazards are created by traffic patterns that cannot be corrected by provisions of paragraph (d)(1) of this section. - (B) Manhole work sites that are subject to unusual water hazards that cannot be abated by conventional means. - (C) Manhole work sites that are occupied jointly with power utilities as described in paragraph (o)(3) of this section. - (2) Requirements prior to entering manholes and unvented vaults. - (i) Before an employee enters a manhole, the following steps shall be taken: - (A) The internal atmosphere shall …

Source excerpt

After-acquired evidence of employee's misconduct as barring or limiting recovery in action for wrongful discharge, 34 A.L.R.5th 699. Excessiveness or adequacy of damages for wrongful termination of at-will employee under state law, 86 A.L.R.5th 397. Who are "public employers" or "public employees" within the meaning of state whistleblower protection acts, 90 A.L.R.5th 687. Common law retaliatory discharge of employee for refusing to perform or participate in unlawful or wrongful acts, 104 A.L.R.5th 1. Common law retaliatory discharge of employee for disclosing unlawful acts or other misconduct of employer or fellow employees, 105 A.L.R.5th 351. Federal pre-emption of whistleblower's state-law action for wrongful retaliation, 99 A.L.R. Fed. 775. What constitutes appropriate relief for retaliatory discharge under § 11(c) of Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) (29 USCS § 660(c)), 134 A.L.R. Fed. 629. ## ARTICLE 10 Sewer Gas ## 50-10-1. [Permitting entry into sewer line without testing atmosphere unlawful; detection of flammable gas or vapor; entry without adequate ventilation unlawful.] It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to require, authorize or knowingly permit any person in the employ or subject to the control of such person, firm or corporation, to enter through a manhole or otherwise into any sewer in this state, whether the same is in service or under construction, without first testing the atmosphere in said sewer at the place or places of entry by use of apparatus to detect the presence of any flammable gas or vapor; and in the event the presence of any flammable gas or vapor is so detected, it shall be unlawful for any such person, firm or corporation to require, authorize or knowingly permit any such employee or controlled person to enter into said sewer unless and until the same has been, at the intended place or places of entry, adequately ventilated and made safe from the hazards of fire and explosion. History: 1953 Com…

Source excerpt

## SCOPE, APPLICATION, &amp; DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO THIS SUBDIVISION Sloping (Sloping system) means a method of protecting employees from cave-ins by excavating to form sides of an excavation that are inclined away from the excavation so as to prevent cave-ins. The angle of incline required to prevent a cave-in varies with differences in such factors as the soil type, environmental conditions of exposure, and application of surcharge loads. Stable rock means natural solid mineral material that can be excavated with vertical sides and will remain intact while exposed. Unstable rock is considered to be stable when the rock material on the side or sides of the excavation is secured against caving-in or movement by rock bolts or by another protective system that has been designed by a registered professional engineer. Structural ramp means a ramp built of steel or wood, usually used for vehicle access. Ramps made of soil or rock are not considered structural ramps. Support system means a structure such as underpinning, bracing, or shoring, which provides support to an adjacent structure, underground installation, or the sides of an excavation. Tabulated data means tables and charts approved by a registered professional engineer and used to design and construct a protective system. Trench (Trench excavation) means a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground. In general, the depth is greater than the width, but the width of a trench (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 15 feet (4.6 m). If forms or other structures are installed or constructed in an excavation so as to reduce the dimension measured from the forms or structure to the side of the excavation to 15 feet (4.6 m) or less (measured at the bottom of the excavation), the excavation is also considered to be a trench. Trench box. See 'Shield.' Trench shield. See 'Shield.' Uprights means the vertical members of a trench shoring system placed in contact …