Trenching and Excavation Safety Program
Environmental Health and Safety
Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. OSHA defines an excavation as any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the Earth’s surface formed by earth removal. A trench is defined as a narrow excavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground. In general, the depth of a trench is greater than its width, but the width of a trench (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 15 feet (4.6 m). UT Tyler’s program outlines procedures and guidelines for the protection of students, staff, faculty, and workers and contains requirements for excavation and trenching operations. Compliance is mandatory to ensure employee protection when working in or around excavations. The program includes information on confined space, hazard communication, lock-out/tag-out, respiratory protection, and any other safety programs or procedures deemed essential for employee protection, are to be used in conjunction with this program.