Excavation Work Safety :
Excavation work usually work involving the removal of soil or rock from a site to form an open face, hole or cavity, using tools, machinery or explosives.
Excavation work can carry out everywhere, particularly in :
- on business premises
- in public areas.
- on construction sites
Excavation work includes:
- open excavations
- potholing
- pit excavations
- trenches and retaining walls
- shafts and drives
Excavation Hazard:
1. Collapse of the perimeters of the excavation.
2. Materials falling onto the persons operating within the excavation.
3. peoples and vehicles falling into the excavation.
4. The undermining of near structures inflicting their collapse into the excavation.
5. injury to underground services throughout excavation work cause electrocution, explosion, gas escape, flooding etc.
6. opening of water can cause flooding
well can study excavation hazard in syllabus created by UK organisation.
The precautions to be taken for Excavation work:
- Trench collapse should be avoided by constructing the sides to a safe angle or by supporting them with cover or proprietary support systems. Support should be installed without any delay as the work carrying out. Ensure the workers are competent and experienced as far as probable and that they have clear instructions.
- Excavated spoil, plant or materials should not be stored close to the sides of excavations as movable material can fall in. The other loading can make the sides of the excavation more likely to collapse.
- Prevent people from falling into excavations by sizable barriers around the edges. This must be provided if the depth of the digging exceeds 2 meters.
- stop vehicles from falling into excavations or surcharging and causing the collapse of the sides of the excavation by keeping them out of the area. barriers can be provided for this purpose and should be marked to be easily visible. If vehicles have to tip materials into excavations then they should be prevented with the help of using stop blocks from over-running into the excavation.
- Provide safe entrance in and out of the excavation.
- Hazardous fumes should be considered. Fuel engine equipment should not be allowed into excavations without arranging for exhausts to be duct away or forced ventilation to be used.
- Cable and / or pipe plans and service plans should be used to locate underground services which should be marked on the ground and where possible digging should take place as far as possible. Use cable and pipe locators during the work of the excavation work. extra care should be taken to ensure that motorized terms of digging are not used near to 0.5 meters of underground services. New procedure should be permanently marked by the use of appropriate tapes over the service and by placing permanent markers above ground indicating the specification like service type, depth, route etc.
- Precautions should be taken against flooding by efficient pumping out system, the excavations ensuring that the outflow from the pump does not cause flooding problems to another place.
Hope This topics is very useful for excavation work safely system who carry out in their organisation.
