Reasons of Excavation Hazards

What makes excavation sites one of the most hazardous work areas? First of all, it is already a dangerous area where workers and equipment share space and where workers operate and swing their equipment within a limited space. As a workplace rife with occupational safety violations, excavations in construction or installation projects are very deep and often unsupported. Violation already taking place as excavations and trenches must be supported. Moreover, they are also narrow, and workers who happen to be in unsupported narrow trenches are unfortunate to be in a space there chances of escaping from a possible disaster are slim.

Excavations are dug for many reasons, mainly for construction and utility installation projects. Civil contractors need to dig excavations to build structural support for buildings and other edifices, install a network of underground pipe and cable systems, to install drainage and sewerage systems, to create tunnel systems and to install other underground assets. Uses for trenching outside of construction and building purposes include irrigation systems for farms and hideout for soldiers in the battlefield.

Excavation works are one of the most dangerous works undertaken by construction workers.  There are many causes for excavation hazards. Among them are:

·        Mishandling of underground assets – One thing that makes excavation sites dangerous is the presence of underground pipe systems and electrical assets. This is usual in cases where workers strike them with their machinery and tools. Can you image striking a live wire with your drill?
·         Wrong excavation practices – Workers in unsupported excavations? Equipment parked too close to the edge? Trenches not secured? Violations of excavation safety procedures indeed.
·          Failure in recognising possible risks and hazards – How can a contractor fail to recognise risks of electrocution when working around buried electrical assets?
·         Loading of rocks, soil and other excavated debris near the excavation – This is the same with parking vehicles near excavations, and this pose a cave-in or collapse of the excavation’s walls.
·         Weak soil or bad weather condition during work times – When you excavate, the surrounding soil can no longer hold the soil that is left behind due to the absence of natural forces which hold the soil. If your excavation is not support, the walls can get weak and then collapse. Working also in excavations under a bad weather can do increase hazards. 

Excavation and trenching need not to be hazardous if only contractors plan out a proper work flow and implement safety rules and work procedures in place, and if workers know how to be careful with their assigned tasks like operating earthmoving equipment and ground-breaking tools. Contractors and workers should now perhaps look into non-destructive digging technologies to ensure safe excavation.

Yunz Contracting is a level 1 ASP non-destructive digging service provider. Please contact us today for service and visit our website.