Free Learning Center
Free Excavation & Trench Safety Training
Learn OSHA's excavation rules the way crews use them in the field: soil types, sloping, shoring, trench boxes, utilities, atmospheres and daily inspections. Every lesson ends with a short quiz. No sign-up, and nothing is saved.
- 12 free lessons
- 96 quiz questions
- About 3 hours total
- No sign-up · nothing saved
Mini-trainings
12 Free Trench Safety Lessons
Work through them in order or jump to the topic you need. Each lesson takes 10 to 20 minutes and ends with a graded quiz.
Excavation and Trench Basics: OSHA Definitions and Why Cave-Ins Kill
What OSHA means by excavation and trench, the 15-foot width rule, and the physics behind cave-ins.
Lesson 2 · 14 minExcavation Hazards: What Can Hurt You In and Around a Trench
Cave-ins, struck-by, utilities, atmospheres, water, falls and more, with the OSHA control for each hazard.
Lesson 3 · 15 minOSHA Soil Classification: Stable Rock, Type A, Type B and Type C
Stable rock and Type A, B and C soils, compressive strength, and what automatically downgrades a soil.
Lesson 4 · 15 minVisual and Manual Soil Tests: How a Competent Person Classifies Soil
Thumb penetration, plasticity, dry strength, drying test and penetrometer: how each one works.
Lesson 5 · 16 minSloping and Benching: OSHA Appendix B Ratios, Angles and Worked Examples
Max slopes for Type A, B and C soil, short-term slopes, benching rules and how to calculate top width.
Lesson 6 · 15 minTrench Shoring Systems: Hydraulic, Timber and Engineered Shoring
Uprights, wales, cross braces and sheeting; hydraulic vs. timber shoring; installation and removal rules.
Lesson 7 · 14 minTrench Boxes and Shields: How to Use Them Safely
Tabulated data, the 2-foot and 18-inch rules, stacking, moving boxes and protecting the open ends.
Lesson 8 · 13 minAccess, Egress, Spoil Piles and Edge Protection
The 4-foot and 25-foot egress rule, ladder setup, spoil setbacks, surcharge, walkways and fall protection.
Lesson 9 · 14 minUnderground Utilities and 811: Locating, Exposing and Protecting Lines
The 811 process, APWA marking colors, tolerance zones, potholing and what to do after a strike.
Lesson 10 · 14 minHazardous Atmospheres and Water in Excavations
When to test the air, the 19.5% oxygen and 20% LFL limits, common gas sources, and water control.
Lesson 11 · 15 minThe Competent Person and Daily Trench Inspections
OSHA's definition, the duties Subpart P assigns, inspection timing, warning signs and stop-work authority.
Lesson 12 · 12 minTrench Collapse Emergencies: What to Do (and Not Do) After a Cave-In
The first minutes after a collapse, preventing secondary collapse, planning, and OSHA's reporting deadlines.
Practice test
Trench & Excavation Safety Practice Test
Random 20-question tests from a 96-question bank, scored instantly.
Free guides
In-Depth Excavation Guides
Trench boxes, hydraulic and slide rail shoring, OSHA's key numbers, cave-ins, 811 marking colors, potholing, trench plates, dewatering, toolbox talks and planning.
Trench Box Guide: What It Is, OSHA Requirements and How to Use One Safely
What a trench box is, how shields are rated, OSHA requirements, sizing and stacking, and common mistakes.
Guide · 9 min readTypes of Trench Shoring: Hydraulic, Timber, Screw Jack, Slide Rail and Sheet Pile
What shoring is and how hydraulic, timber, screw jack, slide rail, sheet pile and soldier pile systems compare.
Guide · 7 min readOSHA Trench Safety Rules: The Numbers Every Crew Should Know
2, 4, 5, 6, 18 inches, 20 and 25 feet: OSHA's key trench numbers on one page, explained.
Guide · 8 min readTrench Cave-Ins: Why Trenches Collapse and the Warning Signs to Watch For
The forces behind a collapse, the triggers (water, vibration, surcharge, disturbed soil) and the warning signs.
Guide · 12 min read10 Trench Safety Toolbox Talks You Can Read to Your Crew Today
Ten five-minute trench safety talks with key points and discussion questions for the crew.
Guide · 9 min readHow to Write an Excavation Safety Plan: A Section-by-Section Outline
A section-by-section outline for a site-specific excavation and trenching safety plan.
Guide · 8 min readHydraulic Trench Shoring: How It Works, How to Install It, and the OSHA Rules
How hydraulic shores work, installing and removing them from the top, Appendix D and tabulated data, inspection.
Guide · 7 min readSlide Rail Shoring Systems: How They Work and When to Use Them
Posts and panels, the dig-and-push sequence, trench vs. pit layouts, and engineering requirements.
Guide · 6 min read811 Utility Marking Colors: What Each Paint and Flag Color Means
The full APWA color code, how to read marks and offsets, and what to do before and while digging.
Guide · 7 min readVacuum Excavation and Potholing: How to Expose Utilities Safely
What potholing is, hydro vs. air excavation, when to pothole, tolerance zones, and recording what you find.
Guide · 6 min readTrench Plates: How to Cover Open Trenches in Roads and Sidewalks Safely
When to plate, sizing and bearing practices, securing and ramping, traffic safety and permit rules.
Guide · 7 min readExcavation Dewatering: Methods, OSHA Rules and Discharge Requirements
Sumps, wellpoints and deep wells; water and trench stability; OSHA rules; and discharge requirements.
Calculators, checklists & reference
Field Tools You Can Use Today
Free calculators and printable checklists that run in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
Trench Slope Calculator: OSHA Setbacks and Top Width by Soil Type
Slope ratio, angle, setback, top width, spoil distance and volume for Type A, B and C soil.
CalculatorTrench Ladder Calculator: How Many Ladders and How Long?
Ladder count, spacing and minimum length for OSHA's 4-foot and 25-foot trench egress rule.
CalculatorCave-In Soil Weight Calculator: How Much Does a Trench Collapse Weigh?
Estimate the tons of soil in a typical trench wall failure, in cubic yards and car-equivalents.
Printable checklistDaily Excavation and Trench Inspection Checklist for the Competent Person
Competent person's daily checklist: soil, protective system, water, air, access, edges and stop-work triggers.
Printable checklistPre-Excavation Planning Checklist: Before the First Bucket
811 tickets, private utilities, soil, protective system, access, traffic, permits and rescue planning.
Printable checklistTrench Box and Shield Inspection Checklist
Pre-use and daily checks for trench boxes: data plate, walls, spreaders, pins, stacking and setup.
ReferenceExcavation & Trenching Glossary
68 plain-English definitions with links to the lessons that use them.
Free lessons vs. certificate courses
When Free Training Is Enough, and When It Isn't
| Free lessons (this page) | Certificate courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, no account | From $59.99 per seat |
| Best for | Learning the basics, refreshers, toolbox talks, checking your knowledge | Documented training for employer records |
| Quizzes | Yes, graded instantly in your browser | Yes, plus a final assessment |
| Certificate of completion | No | Yes, issued on completion |
| Progress saved | No, nothing is stored | Yes, in your training account |
| Languages | English & Spanish (español) | English & Spanish |
FAQ
Free Training FAQ
No. OSHA does not approve or certify excavation training courses or providers. These free lessons are general education based on OSHA's excavation standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P. They do not replace the site-specific training and the competent person your employer is responsible for.
No. The free lessons and practice test do not issue a certificate and do not record your results. If you need documented training for employer records, our paid courses issue a certificate of completion.
No. Quizzes are graded in your browser. Nothing you answer is stored or sent, and refreshing the page clears it.
Laborers, pipe layers, equipment operators, foremen, utility and municipal crews, and safety staff who want a clear refresher on excavation hazards and OSHA Subpart P. Supervisors can also use them as toolbox talks.
Each lesson takes 10 to 20 minutes, and the full set of 12 takes about three hours. You can take the lessons in any order.
Yes. You can walk a crew through a lesson and its quiz as a toolbox talk. Keep your own sign-in sheet, because this site does not record attendance.
Yes. All 12 lessons with their quizzes, the practice test and the guides are also available in Spanish at Capacitación gratuita en español. The calculators, checklists and glossary are in English only. The paid certificate courses are offered in English and Spanish.
Need Documented Excavation Training?
Self-paced online courses aligned with OSHA Subpart P. Certificate of completion. English & Spanish.