10. Excavation Safety
• OSHA Special Emphasis program
• WHY? Protect employees from collapse or
harm from the work in progress..
• WHY? To prevent damage or harm to existing
underground facilities.
• WHY? There is always something in the
ground that you did not foresee.
11. Excavation Safety (continued)
• Hazard Assessment –
• Analyze what you are faced with
• See what has changed since the last shift.
• Develop a new plan based on changes found or new
(potential) issues
• Roles and Responsibilities-
• Who does what?
• One Calls
• Protection of public.
• Competent person
• Protect other facilities
• Stop Work Authority.
12. Excavation Safety (continued)
• Health and Safety of Employees:
• One call current and active
• Work plan to dig safely and protect employees/public
• Stop work authority
• Atmospheric monitoring (exiting utilities, methane in the ground..)
• Access/Egress
• Spoil piles protected
• Protect employees from accumulating water, moving
equipment or materials (installation of pipe), Spoil
piles
13. Excavation Safety (continued)
• Protective Systems for Excavations
• Soil classification
AND
• Benching, Sloping and/or Trench Boxes are the most
common methods utilized.
• Others methods include timber shoring, hydraulic
shoring, or an engineered excavation.
20. Overhead Utilities Safety
• WHY? Protect employees from overhead
utility contact (or fall if contacted)..
• WHY? To prevent damage or harm to
existing overhead utilities.
• WHY? Overhead utilities not only pose a
potential danger, but can limit workspace
and create “worksite congestion” issues.
21. Overhead Utilities Safety (continued)
• Hazard Assessment –
• Analyze what you are faced with…
• See what has changed since the last shift (temperature
shifts/load demands allow change in power line
height.
• Revise the standard work plan if workspace is limited.
• Develop a new plan based on changes found or new
(potential) issues (Example- newly acquired ROW,
other construction in the area…)
22. Overhead Utilities Safety (continued)
• Roles and Responsibilities-
• Who does what?
• Protection of public
• Protect other facilities
• Protects current work from existing conditions
• Plans the proper equipment for safe execution of
work (reach of equipment –vs- height of utility)
• Deploys the use of a spotter
• Stop Work Authority
• .
23. OVERHEADUTILITIESSAFETY
Hazard Mitigation
• THREE LAYERS OF CONTROLS AT ANY GIVEN TIME…?
• INGAA recommends the use of a minimum of 3
layers of controls if overhead utility contact is a
potential at your worksite. Layers Include:
1. Spotters
2. Signage
3. Physical Barriers
4. Proximity Alarm(s)
5. Utility Controls
24. OVERHEADUTILITIESSAFETY
Methods of Protection
Spotters:
If using a dedicated spotter, this must be
his/her only duty.
Must be properly trained (knowledge, established
communication with operator, established location, ability/knowledge
to act…)
Must be properly equipped (Vest, air horn, radio as
needed/warranted)
28. OVERHEADUTILITIESSAFETY
Methods of Protection
Physical Barriers:
Located between the equipment and the
overhead utility.
“Goal Post” – must be highly visible and
non-conductive.
INGAA recommends the installation on
Upstream (coming in) and Downstream
(going away) sides of the overhead utility
when conditions warrant.
36. Pressure Testing Safety
• WHY? Pressure Testing is designed to find
a FAILURE or FAULTY COMPONENT.
• WHY? Plan(s) must be in place to ensure
safety in the event of failure.
• WHY? To ensure public safety from a
faulty component or pipeline system,
protect the environment, and an prevent
interruption of service.
37. Pressure Testing Safety
• Develop a plan.
• Pressures
• Medium(s)
• Buffers, work areas established.
• All aspects of plan are to be included….
Never assume
• Stick to the plan (unless safety or
conditions, or something changes)
• Communicate the plan.
