Osha – Construction Publications Inc

OSHA’s final rule requires businesses to provide properly fitted personal protective equipment to any worker who needs it

Alissa B — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:44:04 +0000

Industry insight

Jobsite safety improvement

OSHA’s final rule requires businesses to provide properly fitted personal protective equipment to any worker who needs it

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finalized a revision to the personal protective equipment (PPE) standard for construction, with the final rule explicitly requiring the equipment to properly fit any construction worker who needs it, improving protections from hazardous conditions.¹

OSHA defines PPE² as equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses, such as:

Gloves
Safety glasses
Safety shoes
Earplugs or muffs
Hard hats
Respirators
Coveralls
Vests
Full body suits

Employers are required to train each worker to properly use PPE, such as knowing when it is necessary and how to put it on, adjust, wear and remove it. Workers should also be educated on the limitations of the equipment, as well as proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal.

Improperly sized PPE can be ineffective in protecting workers, creating new hazards for them. For instance, oversized gloves or protective clothing can get caught in machinery. They can also discourage use because of discomfort or poor fit. The matter has been a longstanding industry safety concern, particularly among some women and among physically smaller or larger workers.

“I’ve talked to workers in construction, particularly women, who have spoken of personal protective equipment that didn’t fit or was simply unavailable at the jobsite in their size,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Doug Parker. “PPE must fit properly to work. I’m proud of the broad support from both employers and unions for OSHA’s efforts to make clear that employers must provide the right PPE for each worker who needs it.”

The revision to the standard adds specific language requiring that employers provide PPE that properly fits construction industry workers. The change aligns the construction industry standard with the standard already in place for general industry.

1. https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20241211-0
2. https://www.osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment

OSHA reports large rise in trenching fatalities, announces enhanced enforcement and oversight

Alissa B — Mon, 15 May 2023 19:02:19 +0000

Industry Insight

OSHA reports large rise in trench-related fatalities, announces enhanced enforcement and oversight

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that nearly 40 deaths occurred in trenching and excavation work during 2022, making it one of the deadliest years on record. The total more than doubled the 15 fatalities reported in 2021.

OSHA reported 22 deaths in the first half of 2022, prompting it to launch enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards. Compliance officers from OSHA were sent to perform more than 1,000 trench inspections nationwide.

“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is calling on all employers engaged in trenching and excavation activities to act immediately to ensure that required protections are fully in place every single time their employees step down into or work near a trench,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Doug Parker. “In a matter of seconds, workers can be crushed and buried under thousands of pounds of soil and rocks in an unsafe trench. The alarming increase in the number of workers needlessly dying and suffering serious injuries in trenching accidents must be stopped.”

OSHA reminded companies and workers that trenching and excavation operations require protective systems and inspections before workers can enter. Those requirements apply to trenches 5 feet or deeper unless they are made entirely in stable rock. Safe access and egress, including ladders, steps, ramps or other safe means, are required for employees working in trench excavations 4 feet or deeper, and they must be located within 25 feet of all workers.

When designing a protective system, you must consider factors such as soil classification, depth of cut, water content of the soil, changes caused by weather or climate, surcharge loads, and other operations in the vicinity.

Protective systems include:

- Benching: Protecting workers from cave-ins by excavating the sides of an excavation to form one or a series of horizontal levels or steps, usually with vertical or near-vertical surfaces between levels; this method cannot be done in Type C soil
- Sloping: Cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation
- Shoring: Installing aluminum hydraulic or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins
- Shielding: Protecting workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins

“OSHA stands ready to assist any employer who needs help to comply with our trenching and excavation requirements,” Parker said. “We will conduct outreach programs — including safety summits — in all of our 10 regions to help ensure any employer who wants assistance gets it. The stakes are too important.”

Click here for more information on preventing trench-related fatalities.

OSHA citing more general contractors for subcontractors’ safety violations

Alissa B — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 12:00:28 +0000

OSHA citing more general contractors for subcontractors’ safety violations

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the top cause of employee deaths in construction. OSHA is focused on protecting workers on multi-employer work sites with more citations for general contractors, according to Jonathan Crotty, a partner with the law firm Parker Poe.

“OSHA has been more aggressive about citing general contractors it believes have not taken adequate steps to monitor and police safety practices on their work sites, especially when it comes to fall protection,” wrote Crotty in the article “OSHA Continues to Cite General Contractors for Subcontractors’ Safety Violations” on Parker Poe’s website. “If the investigator sees the subcontractor’s employees working without adequate fall protection, there is a good chance that both the subcontractor and the general contractor will receive citations.”

Crotty added that in recent years OSHA has frequently cited general contractors that do not have a well-documented safety inspection program in place. In addition, if the general contractor discovers compliance issues by subcontractors, it must demonstrate that it actually enforces its rules, typically through a progressive system of fines and the removal of the subcontractor.

“If the general contractor can demonstrate a rigorous safety and enforcement program, the fact that a subcontractor or its employees ignored these rules should not serve as an adequate legal basis for an OSHA citation against it,” said Crotty. “Construction contractors cannot continuously monitor subcontractors’ safety practices, and if cited, the general contractor can challenge the legal basis for a citation claiming it is responsible for the violation.”

Click here to learn more.

Jobsite Safety Hazards: Raising Awareness To Eliminate Fatalities

Construction Publications, Inc — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 07:00:26 +0000

Jobsite Safety Hazards: Raising Awareness To Eliminate Fatalities

Anyone who works in the excavation business agrees that one injury or death from trench-related incidents is too many. However, each year there are still multiple fatalities. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that there were 37 trench-related fatalities in 2016. That was nearly double the average number throughout the previous five years. The most recent information available showed fatalities in 2017 at 23, a significant reduction from the previous year, but still above the norm.

Those numbers prompted the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to initiate a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) to increase awareness and compliance with trenching and excavation safety requirements. The program consists of two components: OSHA inspectors will conduct and record trenching and excavation inspections in a national reporting system, and each OSHA area office will develop outreach programs supporting compliance assistance within their jurisdictions.

“We are promoting stronger industry awareness about the seriousness of trenching hazards and the means available to address them,” an OSHA spokesperson reported. “In collaboration with industry stakeholders, the agency has developed new compliance assistance resources.”

OSHA’s updated trenching and excavation website provides the following:

Recorded audio public service announcements, in English and Spanish, that highlight effective ways to stay safe when working around trenches and excavations.
A 45-second video, “5 Things You Should Know to Stay Safe,” covering safety measures that can eliminate jobsite safety hazards and prevent worker injuries.
An updated Trenching Quick Card about protecting workers.
OSHA’s revised “Protect Workers in Trenches” poster, which offers a quick reminder of the three ways to prevent dangerous trench collapses. The poster is printed in English and Spanish.
A new “Slope It. Shore It. Shield It.” sticker, available in English and Spanish.

Following Trenching Standards Is Best Way To Eliminate Fatalities

OSHA says compliance with existing trenching standards would prevent most, if not all, fatal incidents. Included among those standards is having a protective system for trenches 5 feet or deeper, unless it is made entirely in stable rock, and a competent person has examined the ground and found no indication of a potential cave-in.

A competent person is any individual, selected by the employer, who is capable of identifying existing and predictable jobsite safety hazards or working conditions that are hazardous, unsanitary or dangerous to workers; can determine soil types and required protective systems; and is authorized to take prompt corrective measures. OSHA requires that a competent person conduct daily inspection of a trench before workers enter.

What Are Jobsite Safety Hazards

Safe access and egress, including ladders, steps, ramps or other safe means, are required for employees working in trench excavations 4 feet or deeper. They must be located within 25 feet of all workers.

Other general rules include keeping heavy equipment away from trench edges; keeping soil and other materials at least 2 feet from the edges; knowing where underground utilities are located before digging; testing for atmospheric hazards; and ensuring that workers wear high-visibility or other suitable clothing.

“The goal of this NEP is to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards,” OSHA stated. “As part of it, Compliance Safety and Health Officers will initiate inspections whenever they observe an open trench or excavation, regardless of whether or not a violation is readily observed. These observations may occur during the course of their normal workday travel or while engaged in programmed or unprogrammed inspections. Operations will also be assigned for inspection as a result of incidents, referrals and complaints. We want to prevent all trench collapses and save lives.”

Raising Awareness of Protective Systems

Here are OSHA’s definitions of the protective systems. When designing one, you must consider factors such as soil classification, depth of cut, water content of soil, changes caused by weather or climate, surcharge loads and other operations in the vicinity.

Benching: A method of protecting workers from cave-ins by excavating the sides of an excavation to form one or a series of horizontal levels or steps, usually with vertical or near-vertical surfaces between levels. Benching cannot be done in Type C soil.

Sloping: Involves cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation.

Shoring: Installing aluminum hydraulic or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins.

Shielding: Protecting workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins.

Editor’s note: Information for this blog was supplied by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.