September 2018 Risk & Safety Newsletter

Preventing Worker Deaths from Trench Collapse

Trench collapse accidents are rarely survivable. OSHA statistics reveal fatalities caused by trench wall collapse are increasing. This trend is preventable by complying with OSHA standards that every municipal utility service employee should know. Municipal employees who dig or excavate trenches are at risk of death if they enter an unprotected trench and the walls collapse.   

Hazards associated with trench work and excavation are well defined in the OSHA standard for excavation and trenching found in 29 CFR 1926.651 and 1926.652 Subpart P. It describes the precautions needed for safe excavation work. There is no reliable warning when a trench fails. The walls can collapse suddenly, and workers will not have time to move out of the way. Even though small amounts of dirt may not seem dangerous, a single cubic yard of dirt can weigh more than 3,000 pounds, which can fatally crush or suffocate workers. Even small, solid pieces of dirt can cause serious injuries. 

Most incidents involve excavation work on water, sewer, pipeline, communications and power-line maintenance, repair, and/or construction. OSHA data shows that most fatalities in trenches occur at depths of 10 feet or less. Lack of a protective system was the leading cause of trench-related fatalities. 

OSHA requires all trenches 5 feet deep or more use one of the following protective systems: 

• Sloping the trench walls 

• Benching the trench walls 

• Shoring the trench with pneumatic or hydraulic jacks and trench plates 

• Shielding the trench using a trench box 

Workers should never enter a trench that does not have a protective system in place designed and installed by a competent person. Factors such as type of soil, water content of soil, environmental conditions, proximity to previously backfilled excavations, weight of heavy equipment or tools, and vibrations from machines and motor vehicles can greatly affect soil. Not all protective systems can be used in all types of soil. A competent person is one who understands OSHA regulations, can recognize hazards, and is authorized to correct them. 

Employer Responsibilities 

Call 811 before digging so that utility lines can be marked.  Train and designate a competent person to ensure safety measures are in place. What is a competent person? A competent person is an individual who can identify existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to workers, and who is authorized to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. 

Competent Person Responsibilities 

• Classifying soil 

• Inspecting protective systems 

• Designing structural ramps 

• Monitoring water removal equipment 

• Conducting site inspections 

• Planning the job layout to identify safe locations for spoil piles and heavy equipment routes 

• Determining what type of protective system will be used for the job and scheduling the steps needed to have the system complete and in place before workers enter 

• Ensuring that employees are trained to spot signs of imminent trench collapse, including tension cracks, bulging, and toppling 

• Developing a trench emergency action plan to describe steps to be taken and to provide contact information in case of an emergency 

• Ensuring that ladders and other means of exit from the trench are repositioned so that ladders are never more than 25 feet away from any worker in the trench 

• Must remove workers from the excavation upon any evidence of a situation that could cause a cave-in, such as accumulation of water in the trench or protective system problems 

• Take actions for other types of hazards such as falling loads or hazardous atmospheres 

• Monitor other types of trench–related hazards that can occur such as falls from the edge, rigging hazards, or toxic and combustible gases 

• Implement and enforce procedures to ensure that work in an unprotected trench is not allowed 

Workers 

• Do not enter an unprotected trench, even for a short task 

• Inspect the protected trench before entering 

• Exit the trench and call the competent person if you see any evidence of problems with a protective system 

• Do not assume there will be a warning sign before a cave in or that you will have time to move out of the way 

• Manually uncover utilities to determine the exact location and depth before mechanical digging with a backhoe or trackhoe

Do you ever work in a confined space?

Do you ever work in a confined space? There are many types of confined spaces – tanks, silos, pits, tunnels, pipes, boilers, sewer manholes, trenches, etc. No matter what the type, confined spaces have something in common. They have limited ways to get in and out, and the atmosphere within them could be dangerous. 

A confined space has three characteristics: 1) It has limited openings for entry and exit, 2) it is large enough to permit a worker to enter, and 3) it is not designed for continuous worker occupancy. The characteristics of a confined space cause it to present unique hazards. Early miners knew some of the dangers of a confined space. Have you ever heard about the canary that died? Miners took a bird into the mine. When the bird died, the miners knew the atmosphere in the mine was getting dangerous. The death of the canary told miners it was time to leave. Today we have more sophisticated ways of testing the atmosphere in confined spaces, but the principle is the same. Check the atmosphere to make sure it is safe to work in before you enter a confined space. 

Confined spaces present many dangers – some of which the miners of yesteryear never knew. Here are some common confined space hazards: 

• Lack of oxygen, presenting a suffocation hazard

• Fire or explosion hazards from an accumulation of flammable vapors

• Health hazards from toxic vapors

• Difficulty exiting the space in the event of an emergency

• Cramped spaces to work in, resulting in a danger of being caught in/on equipment  

• Poor visibility

• High levels of noise

• Temperature extremes

Regulatory agencies require workplaces to have a plan for working in confined spaces safely. If you work in a confined space, you should know your municipality’s procedures for safely entering the space and working in it. Confined spaces should be identified and classified, and safe entry procedures developed. Some confined spaces are called “permit-required confined spaces,” meaning a permit is required for entry into the confined space. In addition to the normal characteristics of a confined space, permit-required spaces present one or more of these hazards: 

• Has the potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere

• Could contain material capable of engulfing someone entering the space

• Has an internal configuration such that a person could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers off to a smaller cross-section (i.e. grain elevator) 

• Contains any other recognized serious hazard

In general, these are the things you should be aware of before you enter a confined space: 

• Know how to enter it safely

• Know how to exit quickly

• Know that the atmosphere in the space is tested and found to be free of dangerous levels of toxic or flammable vapors, and that there is sufficient oxygen

• Know that the atmosphere within the space is going to remain safe while you are working

• Know the rescue plan in the event of an emergency, and make sure the proper rescue equipment is available and in good condition

• Know that another person outside the confined space is keeping an eye on you as you work, and that they know the rescue plan also

• Know what other procedures are necessary to follow to work safely, such as locking out energy sources

Another very important thing to remember is what to do if someone working in a confined space becomes ill or injured. In the event of such an emergency, you should never enter a confined space to rescue someone without the proper equipment, training, and atmospheric testing. Chances are, whatever caused the illness or injury will get you too! Many confined space accidents claim the lives of multiple victims because the initial ill or injured person is a friend and co-worker. People often react to the situation with poor judgment - they just see their friend is in need and jump in to help them without thinking about the danger to themselves. The next thing you know they succumb to the hazard. 

It is possible to work safely in confined spaces, but it is a task that requires careful planning and preparation. Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts when it comes to confined spaces. Follow all safety precautions and don’t hesitate to speak up if you are unsure of the correct procedures. You play the most important role of all when it comes to working safely. By consistently following safe work procedures and not taking chances, you will be working safely for a long time to come. 

Keeping Solid Waste Workers Safe

It’s dangerous to be a “Trash Man”. According to the Solid Waste Association of North America, there were 7 fatalities to sanitation workers in the first 10 days of 2018.  In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has determined that refuse and recyclable materials collectors have the 5th highest fatal work injury rate among civilian occupations. Then there are the non-fatal injuries; sprains, strains, and over-exertion injuries in solid waste collection are 10 times more likely, due to jumping on/off trucks, handling heavy loads, and being backed over by drivers. Exposure to potentially dangerous materials is another major concern in the solid waste industry.

Although OSHA regulations don’t expressly govern sanitation employees or vehicles, it does inspect industrial employers if fatalities occur. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has published Safety Standards for Mobile Refuse Collection and Compaction Equipment, a group of procedures that offers worker guidance:

• Ride only in the vehicle cab or on steps specifically designed for riding

• Remain inside the vehicle cab until the vehicle is completely stopped

• Ensure workers are not using riding steps when the vehicle is backing, exceeding 10mph, or traveling more than 2/10th ‘s of a mile

• Ensure no one rides on the loading sills or in hoppers

• Wear personal protective equipment, high visibility vests, and/or outerwear

• Never use cellphones while driving trucks or at a disposal facility

• Always wear a seat-belt

Equipment makes a difference.  Garbage trucks with automated side-loader systems enhance sanitation worker safety by limiting exposure to hazards outside the truck, as well as those associated with heavy lifting. The same worker can drive the truck and operate the mechanical side arm, which collects refuse containers, dumps contents into the truck and returns the container to the ground. The automated side-loader, from an equipment standpoint, has made a huge difference to worker hazard exposure. No more manual lifting, no being exposed to hazardous waste, and no more being hit by vehicles in the roadway.

Some workers, however, still manually load garbage into trucks despite the emergence of more widespread automated collection. Municipalities may want to establish weight limits for garbage, but these must be rigorously enforced. Workers don’t know by looking at a bag how heavy it is until they lift it. The contents of the bag may not immediately be apparent, putting workers at risk of chemical or bio-hazards.

Many garbage trucks these days are equipped with rearview cameras and other technology to augment the mirrors on both sides of the truck. It should be stressed to drivers to look back and forth between mirrors and cameras when driving and backing the vehicle, to establish good awareness of the environment and to be sure they know where ground workers, other people, vehicles, buildings, and other hazards are at all times. Although maintaining focus remains the goal of drivers, industry experts find that complacency can still develop. There is truth to the concern that workers will become complacent and distracted after having done the same thing day after day, week after week, month after month, without anything bad happening. That is why we need to train and retrain on safety and communicate why it is important and everybody’s job. In addition, drivers should participate in extended training on a Focus 6 Program, designed to help them maintain the skills to eliminate the six most frequent types of sanitation industry incidents: backing, rollover, rear collision, intersection, pedestrian/bicycle, and push-pull-and lift.

Although hazards are also present during post-collection operations at landfills, transfer stations, and recycling centers, these are more fixed facilities and the hazards are more defined and can be adjusted. Observing people is easier because of the controlled environments at these facilities.

Communication between workers and supervisors is a key element to sanitation safety. Supervisors should remain aware of new techniques and industry standards by subscribing to waste management periodicals. It takes collaboration, leadership, and teamwork to make the industry safer.

Is 911 your confined space rescue plan? If so, here's what you should know.

The dangers of confined space work have been written about since Roman times, when the Emperor Trajan was noted to have sentenced criminals to clean sewers, an occupation considered one of the worst.  Working conditions have improved vastly since Trajan’s time, but the same hazards persist and result in workplace injuries and fatalities each year.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics nearly 100 work fatalities occur in permit-required confined spaces.  In addition, for every victim who dies in a confined space, 3 would-be rescuers lose their lives trying to rescue a victim.  

Even though you’ve met all the requirements for a safe confined space entry: you have an attendant, an entrant, and a supervisor, you have the space clearly marked and protected as a confined space, you are monitoring atmospheric conditions, you’ve made sure the entrant has a harness, tripod, tag-line and winch in place, and you have a correctly completed confined space entry permit, you aren’t done.  The only requirement remaining is completion of the rescue plan.  Most municipalities usually complete the rescue plan by writing “CALL 9-1-1.” That is not sufficient. 

Relying solely on 9-1-1 as your means of emergency rescue is essentially planning for a body recovery, not a rescue.  To prevent injuries and fatalities, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requires a specific plan of operation for confined space rescue. These operations must be established by the employer (municipality)¹. If 9-1-1 is part of your emergency plan, the employer is to, among other things, do the following: 

• Evaluate the emergency responder’s ability to respond in a timely fashion 

• OSHA expects emergency care to be administered to the victim in 3-4 mins² 

• Ensure the responder has the equipment and training to enter the specific confined space you are working in 

• Even though you are in a small community and the fire station is just around the corner, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your local firefighters have the training and equipment to respond to a confined space rescue 

• Ensure the responder is proficient in performing the needed rescue services 

• OSHA standards require that the owner of the confined space ensure that the emergency responders are proficient at conducting rescues from the specific types of spaces 

• OSHA lists 24 types of confined spaces depending on the size of the opening, shape of the opening, and location with respect to the space 

• The OSHA term “Proficient” means the employer has certified the responder as being proficient in conducting rescues from the specific type of confined space encountered 

Municipalities, like private employers, have two options when considering permit-required confined space rescue, since for most, “9-1-1” is not a viable option for emergency confined space response and rescue operations.  

• Train your employees to conduct permit-required confined space rescue operations and provide medical assistance, or 

• Hire a third-party Rescue and Response company to provide those services for your municipality. 

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¹OSHA Confined Space Regulations for General Industry: 1910.146(k)(1) – 1910.146(l)(2)

²OSHA Confined Space Regulations for Construction 29 CFR 1926.1211(a) – 1926.1211(d)