Utility Contractor Tulsa | Trench Safety Techniques
This content was written for GEI Utility Construction
These days in the utility construction industry Safety is more of a focus than ever before. Most utility contractor Tulsa think of Safety as just another obstacle in their way of making money and turning a profit. These are the types of utility Tulsa should be weary of when searching for a utility contractor. One of the main issues and hazards in the underground utility excavation and utility contractor market is excavation safety. Excavation safety can mean a lot of different things depending on the individual situation but in this article, we will try to discuss at length the different types of hazards associated with Excavating and Solutions to each and every one of these potential dangers. Utility excavation can be extremely safe when done correctly but can turn deadly weapon corners are cut and safety precautions are not taken. GEI Utility construction is the utility contractor Tulsa has relied on for nearly 40 years with a proven track record of successfully completing underground Excavating trenching and directional drilling operations with a terrific safety record.
The first and most common risk associated with underground excavating is collapse of a ditch. There are many reasons why a ditch trench or excavation can collapse this situation can be extremely dangerous and, in most cases, deadly for personnel who are inside of the excavation at the time of collapse. Some of the things to look out for and to watch out to see if your utility contractor knows what he or she is doing and whether they know what some of the common potential hazards are to look out for. Anytime and excavation is deeper than 5 feet shoring pinching or sloping must be used in soil conditions other than solid rock. Shoring is a technique used in which a box is lowered into the excavation for workers to more safely execute their jobs in the side of a protected area. When Shoring is installed properly it creates a barrier between the earth which forms the edge of the excavation and the employees inside of the excavation carrying out their duties. It is important for operators to be well educated and trained on trench safety. All of Gable‘s Excavating or GEI Utility Construction Utility contractor Tulsa operators are fully trained with their OSHA 30 hour certificates there excavation competent person certificates as well as their first aid and CPR certificates. This ensures that should they situation arise Gable‘s Excavating‘s highly skilled highly experienced operators know what to do and when to do it. After an excavation is Doug in before the employees or helpers enter the excavation a trench box is lowered into position. The trench box must extend at least 24 inches above ground level to be properly installed. The trench box or Shoring must also have ladders so that employees have points of ingress and egress at specified distances. The short box cannot have a void between the outer wall of the shore box and the excavation. If a short box is not supported on the exterior by the walls of the excavation or by backfill material if there was to be a cave in the short box could shift suddenly injuring the employees inside. Sure, boxes are an extremely safe and versatile way of ensuring the safety of your utility contractor Tulsa and their employees and Possibly your employees if your excavator is only digging and backfilling.
The second type of trench safety equipment or procedures is known as benching. Benching is a process of digging stair step like Graduated benches working up from the bottom of the trench and out word to relieve pressure on the leading edge of an excavation. This technique is especially effective in areas that can accommodate a much wider excavation without the use of a short box. There are several different techniques for benching according to soil classifications but here is a generic example as a rule of thumb. If an excavation is 4 feet wide at the bottom the first bench can go up to feet vertically to the first bench. The bench is then taken horizontally away from the excavation to a distance equal to the width of the ditch. The next step or bench risers 2 feet and then his laterally 2 feet followed by another 2’ x 2’ bench and so on. The first bench being twice as wide ensures the slope is maintained So that personnel standing in the bottom of the ditch, she do not find themselves in the path of a slide should part of the bank collapse.
The next technique for ensuring trench safety and the safety of your utility contractor Tulsa when working on your project is sloping. Sloping is not is commonly used as benching but follows along the same technique. Depending on soil conditions plasticity and moisture content a ratio or slope is calculated. The banks of the excavation must be sloped out words it at least that angle or greater to satisfy OSHA requirements. Benching is typically preferred over sloping due to the ease of access of the excavation created by the stairstep effect of binging.
Another form worth mentioning is known as speed Shoring. Speed Shoring is used in relatively small excavations they’re not open for a long period of time. The excavation is dug, and plywood is lined on the edges of the excavation. Speech Shoring is dropped in the position and a pump is used to pump hydraulic fluid into the speed Shoring pushing them out against the walls of the ditch which is supported by plywood. This creates a temporary workspace that is safe for employees to enter to proceed with their job. Speech showing is especially useful in Excavations that are less extensive than a typical short box would be needed. Speed Shoring is also limited due to the size of speech Shoring at inherently cannot support the same size of excavation as a rigid sure box.
GEI Utility Construction the utility contractor can depend on, with a reliable track record of success in the Tulsa area, extending into greater Oklahoma and beyond into the surrounding states has the right equipment for your job to get the project done right on time and under budget and in a safe manner. Excavation safety can be something that your utility Tulsa takes very seriously or something that they will take and consider as a roadblock. If your utility contractor Tulsa is not using the proper techniques to ensure the safety of their employees, you are putting yourself at risk by using them. The statistics for fatalities for people covered above their head in a excavation collapse is Overwhelmingly deadly. GEI Utility Construction values the lives and safety of our employees above anything else and goes to the strictest and highest of standards to ensure their safety. If you are utility contractor is cutting corners and risking the lives of their employees or your employees, please do not hesitate to reach out to GEI Utility Construction today to see the gable difference. As always, we guaranteed to beat any competitor’s price by 15% and to return a free no hassle no obligation quote within 24 hours. Thank you for visiting our website overwhelmingly deadly. GEI Utility Construction values the lives and safety of our employees above anything else and goes to the strictest and highest of standards to ensure their safety. If you are utility contractor is cutting corners and risking the lives of their employees or your employees, please do not hesitate to reach out to GEI Utility Construction the utility contractor can count on today to see the gable difference. As always we guaranteed to beat any competitor‘s price by 15% and to return a free no hassle no obligation quote within 24 hours. Thank you for visiting our website and for considering Gable’s excavating or GEI Utility construction for your utility construction needs.