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Excavation and Trench Safety Online Training - Cal/OSHA
Online Training Certificate Course
Title 8 CCR 1540 Article 6
From the highest rated and most trusted online training company - since 2008.
This course is offered in partnership with Hard Hat Training, a 360training™ company.
This online training course covers Cal/OSHA regulations for excavation site requirements, the hazards present at excavation sites, protective systems that can be implemented, and requirements for those systems. The excavation safety training also covers employer and employee responsibility for training and implementing necessary safety measures.
The risks of working in trenches and excavations include cave-ins, floods, and other emergencies that can cause entrapment and even death. If an employee understands the risks involved and how to properly guard against them, injuries and fatalities are far less likely to occur.
This course is in partnership with Hard Hat Training. Hard Hat Training and Compliance Training Online™ are divisions of the 360training™.
This course is for:
Trenching and excavations are necessary to maintain and repair underground installations such as power lines, sewer systems, and other utilities. They may also be necessary when constructing a building or repairing a bridge. Any employee who is exposed to these operations needs to be adequately trained regarding the hazards present at the worksite.
Case Study: In California, a plumber was killed when a trench collapsed around him. He had been working for the company only two days when the incident occurred. The worker was dispatched along with a backhoe operator to connect residential and main sewer lines. The backhoe operator dug the trench and deposited the soil at the edge of the excavation. No protective systems were implemented, but the company indicated that typical excavations of this kind were sloped to prevent cave-ins instead of dug sharply out like this particular trench. The victim jumped into the trench to continue digging with a shovel when the walls caved in. The sharp angle of the trench walls combined with the fact that this area had previously been excavated was enough to cause the trench walls to collapse, burying the victim completely. Despite rescue attempts by coworkers and paramedics, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene due to asphyxia.
Key Takeaway: While the company had a training program in place, it failed to ensure that its employees completed the program before being dispatched to a potentially hazardous work site. Because the victim had only been employed by the company for two days, he had not yet had the time or opportunity to complete necessary training. Had he undergone proper training, he may have recognized the hazardous situation and avoided the incident. It is unknown whether the backhoe operator underwent satisfactory training for this task.
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Governing Regulations
California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), more commonly known as Cal/OSHA, sets and enforces standards pertaining to trenching and excavation. These regulations can be found in Title 8 of California's Code of Regulations (CCR) in Section 1541.
What You'll Learn
Introduction to Cal/OSHA Trenching and Excavating Safety Training
- Definitions and Key Terms
- Regulations for Trenching and Excavating
- What is Excavation?
Preparation for Trenching and Excavating
- Soil Classification
- Surface Encumbrances and Subsurface Installations
- Access and Egress
Hazards Present in Excavations
- Atmospheric Hazards
- Cave-In Hazards
- Water Accumulation
- Other Hazards
Protective Systems
- Types of Protective Systems
- Requirements for Protective Systems
- Safety in Excavation Work Spaces
- Cofferdams
- Employer and Employee Responsibilities
Summary
Additional Resources
Exam
Our online courses will take at least 2 hours to complete, including the final exam, unless a different timeframe is specified in the course details. The learner may log on and off as needed. When they log back in, the course will return to where they left off.
Unless otherwise indicated in the course details, learners have 60 days from the date of enrollment to complete the course. During this time, participants can log out and back in to return to where they left off in the course. The only exception is the final exam, which must be completed in a single sitting.
Learners who do not complete the course within 60 days will have their enrollment disabled and not be eligible for a refund. Please review our Terms & Conditions for details.
Employers are responsible for training new personnel before assigning them to tasks that may expose them to hazardous worksites. Additionally, recurrent training is needed whenever new hazards are introduced into employees' work areas. This online certification meets this requirement.
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