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Another trench collapse

buddy605

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halifax
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Engineering tech/ survey
In Nova Scotia there has been some trench collapses invilving deaths. But appairently thes guys have not learned.001.JPG002.JPG036.jpg038.jpg039.jpg
 

plantman.uk

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Oct 4, 2009
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uk
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excavator operator
In pic 2 why is he under the bucket?....then look at the the material excavated it looks to be less than a metre from the edge of the trench.Is that second machine there to batter the sides?
 

Showpony

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I'd like to know where these guys get their hi vis and hard hats, it looks likethese guys think they will replace shoring. If there is no risk why shore the pipe work? It amazes me how people think they are safe dressed up like a teletubby. The worst thing is we all pay for this stupidity through hi insurance premiums and rediculous red tape to make it safe for people who should not be there in the first place.
 

95zIV

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Cincinnati, OH
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RR Contractor Super.
I'm trying to figure out just what's wrong with anything in those pictures.

Can someone tell me? Or are we just going to get a bunch of armchair quarterbacks?
 

robin yates uk

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philippines
I'm trying to figure out just what's wrong with anything in those pictures.

Can someone tell me? Or are we just going to get a bunch of armchair quarterbacks?
all the pics look to be showing safety awareness apart from the guy kneeling beneath the excavator bucket
 

buddy605

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halifax
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Engineering tech/ survey
The guy on his knees is actually not under the bucket. The slops are suppose to be on a 45 degree angle and these are about 70. The photo of the trench box has the cutting edges under minded and are about to shear the remaining bank off.
 

tuney443

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Dutchess County,NY
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excavating contractor
There's nothing really unsafe with any of these pics IMHO.Just maybe a little laziness[read that cheapness] not widening the trench enough for a better box fit.
 

FMD

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Jul 26, 2013
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somewhere
I'd like to know where these guys get their hi vis and hard hats, it looks likethese guys think they will replace shoring. If there is no risk why shore the pipe work? It amazes me how people think they are safe dressed up like a teletubby. The worst thing is we all pay for this stupidity through hi insurance premiums and rediculous red tape to make it safe for people who should not be there in the first place.

If you are in a traffic area, reflective vests are required. If you have overhead work a hard hat is required. These are OSHA standards. 1923.651
 

FMD

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I'm trying to figure out just what's wrong with anything in those pictures.

Can someone tell me? Or are we just going to get a bunch of armchair quarterbacks?

Several items that I see.

1. Only mininum number of employees in the trench.....(too many guys standing around in trench) YES this is a OSHA reg.
2. No heavy equipment operating or other excessive vibration source with men in the trench. The excavator needs moved out of harms way.
3. With the excavator there running, there are harzards being introduced. CO kills. Where is the air handler and air monitor? Where is the trench/hole watcher?
4. No barricades or stop logs for the machines.
5. Trench looks longer that 25' so you need two ladders or two means of egress.
6. Poor boxing. improperly postioned and not backfilled on the sides
7. Spoils improper placed. Should have spoils on the otherside so for rain water is channeled away from the trench.
8. Improper sloping. I would call this C soil for it looks pretty loose. 1-1/2-1 or a 34 degree slope.
9. And lastly, this is an assumption, no CP invovlement here.
 

Oxbow

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Nov 22, 2012
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Location
Idaho
Is the second machine there to place the bedding material?

That would be my assumption. Not sure how you get bedding in the trench without using a machine (that vibrates). Although I don't see a bedding box.
 

Showpony

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Jan 29, 2009
Messages
193
Location
Canterbury New Zealand
If you are in a traffic area, reflective vests are required. If you have overhead work a hard hat is required. These are OSHA standards. 1923.651
I have no problem with personal protective equipment being used by trained personell, but it really gets to me when academics and rubber neckers turn up on a work site, meandering about in hard hats and hivis thinking they are safe and can pretty much do what they like.
no amount of hi vis, or hardest hat, best H&S plan is worth a dam when you step out in front of a loaded dump truck, because you didnt know a loaded 50 ton dumper has right of way and needs a lot more stopping distance than a prius.
average joe has no perseption of what you cannot see from inside an excavator cab, hi vis, hard or not if he gets in the swept path of the counterweight or the wrong side of the boom theres going to a problem.
An idiot isnt any smarter if you can see him, and they are certainly worse off if wearing earmuffs and unable hear you or approaching equipment.
Corperate safety programs are usually run by university graduates from health and legal industries, they have learned to formulate forms, audits, reviews, and god only knows what else to cover managements and their butts in the name of safety.
these things do not make our work places safe.
allowing only trained personell who are there to perform their specific tasks onto a work site is the best start.
 

FMD

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That would be my assumption. Not sure how you get bedding in the trench without using a machine (that vibrates). Although I don't see a bedding box.

Just pull the men out of the trench while laying the bedding.
 

FMD

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I have no problem with personal protective equipment being used by trained personell, but it really gets to me when academics and rubber neckers turn up on a work site, meandering about in hard hats and hivis thinking they are safe and can pretty much do what they like.
no amount of hi vis, or hardest hat, best H&S plan is worth a dam when you step out in front of a loaded dump truck, because you didnt know a loaded 50 ton dumper has right of way and needs a lot more stopping distance than a prius.
average joe has no perseption of what you cannot see from inside an excavator cab, hi vis, hard or not if he gets in the swept path of the counterweight or the wrong side of the boom theres going to a problem.
An idiot isnt any smarter if you can see him, and they are certainly worse off if wearing earmuffs and unable hear you or approaching equipment.
Corperate safety programs are usually run by university graduates from health and legal industries, they have learned to formulate forms, audits, reviews, and god only knows what else to cover managements and their butts in the name of safety.
these things do not make our work places safe.
allowing only trained personell who are there to perform their specific tasks onto a work site is the best start.


We have students working as interns with our safety people. A LOT of the safety people that I work with are CSP's. Extensive schooling and even more CEU's to keep up with thier credentials. I am in maintenace and I attend at least one class a month on saftety. These are anywhere from a 1 day class to 5 day classes. We also have also have CP's in trenching, fall protection, confine space and they are to STAY on site while those activities are in progress. Safety does work if it is a top down agenda.
 

Buckethead

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Waterfront
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Just pull the men out of the trench while laying the bedding.

The top pictures look like PVC sanitary sewer and the other pics are reinforced concrete pipe. (storm drain) I don't know how one does that kind of pipe work without a pipelayer in the trench.
 

95zIV

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Cincinnati, OH
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RR Contractor Super.
The top pictures look like PVC sanitary sewer and the other pics are reinforced concrete pipe. (storm drain) I don't know how one does that kind of pipe work without a pipelayer in the trench.

Monday morning Quarterbacks always have the answer, maybe not the smartest one, but they have the answer. I'm sure one will be forthcoming.
 

FMD

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Monday morning Quarterbacks always have the answer, maybe not the smartest one, but they have the answer. I'm sure one will be forthcoming.

Ok, I am going to assume that you are talking about me..............So I'll bite the bait.

I am not a conformist. I am not anybodys boy at work. I dont apease just to be in with the guys. I am not always liked and that is okay with me. With my crew, it is done right and it is done safe, I dont care how many years you done this or that. I know right from wrong. This isnt rockect science by the way.

There are some people that are "know it all" because they claim to have laid 1000 of miles of pipe or operated this or that machine all of thier lives, drove millions of miles and done it all. Yet, on the same token they dont know what the proper slope or step should be, cant do soil testing, dont have CP's on site, cant do a proper pre-trip, cant read a load chart, or say it takes too long to cut the ground out more. Sure there are some difficult jobs on having the room to slope or step properly, but this one in the picture sure doesnt look like one of those scenes.

Look at the photo's. There are so many things wrong here. The second picture has two excavators that arent even running and are pretty dang close to the edge. WHY not park them futher back. The first photo with the machine close to the edge looks to me dumping the bedding. Why have all those men in the hole when this is going on? I dont see any slings, chains on any concrete pipe? So I am going to assume they are not using the machine to lay the piping. You can lay bedding without men in the hole with a machine (Yes I have done it). Climb out the hole, lay the bedding move the machine and re-enter the hole. Use shovels and compactors to set the bedding. If the pipping is too heavy to handle, and men has to be in the hole, BOX the trench properly, SLOPE the trench properly, STEP the trench properly.


Please tell me you dont find any safety concerns in these photo's and you perform trench work.
 
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