BUSINESS ACCOUNTS
Excavation and Trench Safety Online Training
Online Training Certificate Course
29 CFR 1926 Subpart P
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 trenching and excavation online training course details best practices that enhance safety on the job site. Course topics include hazard recognition, protective system requirements, and soil classification.
Trenching and excavating work presents serious hazards to all worksite personnel. Without proper excavation safety training, employees could fail to notice small imperfections in systems or equipment that could lead to serious complications, including cave-ins. Most workers caught in a cave-in are either seriously injured or killed.
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:
This OSHA trench safety course is designed for anyone who works in or around excavations and trenches, including all applicable employers, supervisors, and workers. This safety training may help prevent serious injury in the workplace and save lives.
Case Study: In 2016, several workers in Kentucky were laying a sewage pipe in a trench excavation. The trench was just over 12 feet deep, and in order to provide a safe workspace, a trench box was placed inside. However, the trench box measured only 8 feet - 4 feet too short. In addition, the parking lot surrounding the trench already showed signs of distress and previous excavation, and no testing to determine an appropriate protective system was conducted prior to beginning work. Two workers were together in the trench box when a portion of the trench wall collapsed, dropping a large amount of soil and concrete on top of the workers. One worker was completely buried, and his coworker was trapped and immobilized from the waist down. Although coworkers and professional rescue services attempted to extract the workers, the worker who was fully buried was pronounced dead at the scene from asphyxiation and blunt force injuries from the falling material.
Key Takeaway: Protective systems are only effective when they are properly implemented. Trench boxes and shoring should extend at least to the top of the excavation, if not further. In addition, there was no testing done prior to work beginning, and there was no easy means of egress from the trench box. Had the protective systems been measured and constructed correctly for the task at hand, the accident could have been prevented and a life saved.
Governing Regulations
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, is charged with the enforcement of safety and health conditions of workers through the use of regulations published in the Code of Federal Regulations. OSHA regulations are published in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Part 1926 is designated for construction industry standards. This online certification course focuses on requirements described in OSHA 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P.
What You'll Learn
Introduction to Trenching and Excavation Safety Training
- Regulations for Trenching and Excavating
- Definitions and Key Terms
- What Is an Excavation?
Specific Excavation Requirements
- Underground Installations
- Entering and Coming Out of Excavations
- Other Hazardous Exposures
- Mobile Equipment
- Hazardous Atmospheres
- Emergency Rescue Equipment
- Protection from Hazards of Water Accumulation
- Stability of Nearby Structures
- Protection of Employees from Loose Rock or Soil
- Inspections
- Walkways
Requirements for Protective Systems
- Design of Sloping and Benching Systems
- Design of Support Systems, Shield Systems, and Other Protective Systems
- Materials and Equipment
- Installation and Removal of Support
- Additional Requirements for Support Systems for Trench Excavations
- Working Above Employees Using Sloping and Benching Systems
- Shield Systems
- Soil Classification (Appendix A)
- Requirements for Sloping and Benching
- Configurations of Sloping and Benching Systems
- Slope Configurations for Excavations Made in Type A Soil
- Slope Configurations for Excavations Made in Type B Soil
- Slope Configurations for Excavations Made in Type C Soil
- Slope Configurations for Excavations Made in Layered Soils
- Sloping and Benching (Appendix B)
- Definitions
- Requirements of Soil Classification
- Acceptable Visual Tests of Excavation Sites
- Acceptable Manual Tests of Excavation Sites
- Timber Shoring for Trenches (Appendix C)
- Aluminum Hydraulic Shoring for Trenches (Appendix D)
- Alternatives to Timber Shoring (Appendix E)
- Selection of Protective Systems (Appendix F)
Employer and Employee Responsibilities
Summary
Additional Resources
Exam
Most of our courses take about two (2) hours to complete. If a final exam is included, you should plan for an additional 30 minutes. Courses that require additional training time will clearly state that in the course title or description.
You’ll have unlimited access during your enrollment or access period. Most CTO courses must be completed within 90 days of purchase. OSHA-authorized Outreach Training provides up to 180 days to finish the course and required survey. Timeframes vary depending on the specific course and regulatory requirements. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more details.
Because our courses are self-paced, you can log in and out as needed and complete your training on a schedule that works best for you.
Employers are responsible for training new personnel before assigning them to tasks that may expose them to hazards such as being buried alive.
To ensure compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1926.21, safety training must be conducted periodically and as-needed to instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions. This trenching and excavation training meets these training requirements.
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