Subpart P lists what must be done, not how to write it down. Many owners, general contractors and public agencies still require a written excavation safety plan (sometimes called a trenching and shoring plan) before work starts, and some states require one for permits on deeper excavations. California, for example, requires a Cal/OSHA permit for trenches and excavations 5 feet or deeper that workers will enter. Even when no one asks for it, a written plan forces the planning that prevents emergencies.
1. Project scope
- Location, address and site access points (write it where 911 callers can read it).
- Description of the work: pipe size, structures, lengths and phases.
- Maximum depth and bottom widths of each excavation, and how long each will stay open.
- Schedule, work hours and expected weather.
2. Roles and the competent person
- Name the competent person for each shift and crew, and state that they have authority to stop work.
- Identify who designs protective systems: tabulated data on site or a registered professional engineer for anything outside the tables or deeper than 20 feet.
- List contacts: superintendent, safety manager, engineer, utility owners, rescue resources.
3. Utilities and surface encumbrances
- 811 ticket numbers, dates, expiration and positive response status.
- Known private lines and how they'll be located.
- Tolerance zone method: hand digging, vacuum excavation, potholing locations.
- How exposed lines will be supported and protected.
- Surface encumbrances (poles, walls, trees, signs) to remove or support, and adjacent structures that need monitoring or underpinning.
4. Soil and site conditions
- Geotechnical report findings, if available: soil types, groundwater depth, layers.
- Expected classification (stable rock, Type A, B or C) and the visual and manual tests the competent person will use.
- Known problem areas: previously disturbed soil, fill, vibration sources, nearby traffic.
5. Protective systems
For each excavation segment, state:
- The system: sloping, benching, shoring, shielding or engineered design.
- The basis: Appendix B slopes, Appendices C or D, manufacturer's tabulated data (attach it) or a PE design (attach it).
- Equipment specifics: trench box model and rating, stacking, spreader lengths, hydraulic shore spacing.
- How trench ends, tie-ins and manholes will be protected.
6. Access, egress and the edge
- Ladder locations: within 25 feet of lateral travel in trenches 4 feet or deeper, inside the protected area.
- Spoil placement (at least 2 feet back, and the planned distance), material staging and truck routes.
- Walkways and guardrails, barricades for excavations 6 feet or deeper that aren't readily visible, and end-of-day covers or fencing.
7. Equipment and traffic
- Swing radius control, signal persons and warning systems for operators who can't see the edge.
- Traffic control plan for work in or next to roadways, and high-visibility garments.
- Rules for working under loads and around trucks being loaded.
8. Atmospheres and water
- Whether a hazardous atmosphere could exist (landfill, sewer, fuel, contaminated soil, engine exhaust) and the testing plan for excavations deeper than 4 feet.
- Ventilation and placement of gas-powered equipment.
- Groundwater and surface water control: pumps, well points, diversion, and who monitors them.
- Whether any part of the work is a confined space under 1926 Subpart AA.
9. Inspections
- Daily inspection procedure, the form used and where records are kept. Use our daily trench inspection checklist.
- Triggers for re-inspection: rain, freeze-thaw, vibration, utility leaks, changes in loads.
- Stop-work criteria.
10. Emergency response
- 911 address, nearest trench rescue resource and expected response time.
- Rescue equipment on site where hazardous atmospheres could develop.
- First aid and the emergency action plan.
- Utility strike procedures and emergency numbers for gas and electric owners.
- Incident reporting, including OSHA's 8-hour and 24-hour reporting deadlines.
11. Training
- Who has been trained in what: hazard recognition for all workers, competent person training, equipment-specific training.
- Toolbox talk schedule. See our free toolbox talks.
Keep it alive
A plan written once and filed is not much use. Update it when the depth, soil, protective system or crew changes, keep the current version and the tabulated data at the jobsite, and walk the crew through the parts that affect them.
Start your pre-job planning with the pre-excavation checklist.
Sources and official references
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026 · Free general education based on OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P. It does not replace the site-specific training and competent person your employer must provide, and it does not issue a certificate. Nothing you enter on this page is saved or sent.