11
TRENCH & EXCAVATION — WHEN IT NEEDS A BOX
NOVA SKILL MODULE M-11
Read: 6 min
Full rules: NEW — no Nova SOP yet
DRAFT — written to the OSHA baseline because Nova has no written trench standard. Adam approves this before anybody is trained on it.
A cubic yard of dirt weighs about as much as a small car, and a trench wall gives no warning before it goes. Cave-ins kill more men in this trade than anything else on this card set.
Do it in this order — every time
- FIVE FEET. At 5 ft deep a trench needs a protective system — box, shoring, or a properly sloped wall. Under 5 ft it still gets protected if the ground looks bad, and the call is the competent person's.
- Over 20 feet needs an engineer. Not a judgment call, not a field decision.
- A named competent person inspects before every shift, after rain, and any time conditions change. His name goes on the JSA.
- Spoil pile back at least 2 feet from the edge. Farther is better. The pile is a load on the wall.
- Ladder, ramp, or steps within 25 feet of every man in a trench 4 feet or deeper.
- Nobody in the trench while a machine is working over it.
- Water in the trench means get out. Water changes the soil, and it changes the rules.
- Test the air in anything over 4 feet where gas, sewer, or a confined space is possible.
- Nobody under a suspended load. Ever.
- A trench left open past the day gets hard protection — plate or fence, not cones — and the Supervisor's sign-off.
THE ONE-LOOK TEST: if you would not stand in it yourself while somebody drove a mini-ex past the edge, it is not protected. Say that out loud and put it in the box, or slope it back.
NEVER — THESE FOUR END IT
- Never enter an unprotected trench 5 feet or deeper — not for 30 seconds, not to grab a tool.
- Never stack spoils, pipe, or park a machine at the edge.
- Never work in a trench with water in it.
- Never trust yesterday's inspection. Rain overnight resets everything.
Signed off when he can do all three — watched, not talked about
| Says the 5-foot rule and the 25-foot ladder rule without prompting. | |
| Walks an open trench and calls the spoil pile, the access, and the soil. | |
| Says who the competent person is on his crew, by name. | |
Trainee name / date
FIELD SUPERVISOR initials / date — only he signs