Arlington, VA miners, should avoid entering trenches with unexpected walls, the administration of mining and health administration recently advised in a death alarm.
The agency issued the warning to an incident from January 3, in which a miner was killed when he tried to replace a 12-inch discharge line in a excavated ditch. The trench wall collapsed and devoured it.
The best practices from MSHA include:
- Stay away from potentially unstable areas.
- Set and discuss secure working procedures before starting work.
- Identify and control all the dangers associated with the work carried out and the methods for proper protection of employees.
- Follow the OSHA guidelines for dug and excavation security.
The standard trench and excavation standard (1926,650, sub -section P) requires protection systems such as aversion, men and shielding for trenches that are 5 feet or deeper, unless the excavation occurs in stable rock.
“Graben collapses or the cave-ins the greatest risk of the life of the workers,” says Osha. “If it is made safe, Grabenbetriebe can reduce exposure to other potential dangers – including falls, falling loads and dangerous atmospheres – and incidents with mobile devices.”
The 10th annual stand-down stand of the trench safety will take place from June 16 to 20.