What is excavation work
Excavation
work generally means work involving the removal of soil or rock
from a site to form
an open face, hole or cavity using tools, machinery or explosives.
an open face, hole or cavity using tools, machinery or explosives.
Identifying the hazards
Examples of excavation specific
hazards include:
Underground
essential services like gas,
water, sewerage, telecommunications, electricity, chemicals and fuel or
refrigerant in pipes or lines. Information about the location of
these and other underground services, such as drainage pipes, soak wells and
storage tanks, in and adjacent to the workplace, must be established before
directing or allowing excavation work.
The fall or
dislodgement of earth or rock
Falls from one
level to another
Falling objects
Inappropriate
placement of excavated materials, plant or other loads
The instability of
any adjoining structure caused by the excavation
Any previous
disturbance of the ground including previous excavation
The instability of
the excavation due to persons or plant working adjacent to the excavation
The presence of or
possible inrush of water or other liquid
Hazardous manual
tasks
Hazardous gases
Hazardous
chemicals (e.g. These may be present in the soil where excavation work is to be
carried out)
Hazardous
atmosphere in an excavation (e.g. Using methyl ethyl ketone (mek) solvent for
pvc pipes in poorly ventilated trenches)
Vibration and
hazardous noise
Overhead essential
services (power lines) and ground mounted essential services (transformers, gas
and water meters).
TRANSPORTATION & FORKLIFT HAZARDS
Controlling
the risks
Substitution – for example using an excavator with a rock
breaker rather than manual method
Isolation – for
example using concrete barriers to separate pedestrians and powered mobile
plant to reduce the risk of collision.
Engineering
Controls – for example benching, battering or shoring the
sides of the excavation to reduce the risk of ground collapse.
If risk remains, it must be minimized by implementing administrative controls, so far as is
reasonably practicable, for example by installing warning signs near the
excavation.
Any remaining risk must be minimized with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), such as providing workers with
hard hats, hearing protectors and high visibility vests.
Administrative control measures and PPE rely
on human behavior and supervision and used on their own tend to be the least
effective in minimizing risks.
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