Summary Statement

For any excavation greater than 5ft, workers must be protected from cave-ins by an adequately designed protective system e.g. shoring, shielding, sloping, etc. Utility line locations should be located before starting to excavate. Any excavation greater than 4 ft should have stairways or ladders located no more than 25 feet apart. Appropriate testing should be conducted if there is a possibility of an oxygen deficient atmosphere or hazardous atmosphere inside the excavation. Work area should be marked off with appropriate warning signs.