Free Guides
Excavation & Trench Safety Guides
Plain-English guides to trench boxes, shoring, OSHA's key trench numbers, cave-ins, toolbox talks and excavation planning.
- 12 free guides
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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.
GuideTypes 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.
GuideOSHA 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.
GuideTrench 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.
Guide10 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.
GuideHow 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.
GuideHydraulic 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.
GuideSlide 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.
Guide811 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.
GuideVacuum 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.
GuideTrench 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.
GuideExcavation Dewatering: Methods, OSHA Rules and Discharge Requirements
Sumps, wellpoints and deep wells; water and trench stability; OSHA rules; and discharge requirements.
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