Recent OSHA-published numbers indicate fatalities from trench collapse are now in the low to mid-teens annually…15 in 2023, 13 in 2024, and 18 in 2025. The reduction in trench collapse fatalities can be attributed to heightened OSHA enforcement and industry efforts. That said, it is important to recognize that there are a number of potential hazards that may be present during excavation activities.
Excavation work presents a number of hazards that can result in serious injuries or fatalities, including—but not limited to:
Collapse of surface encumbrances
Exposure to vehicular traffic
Failure of adjacent structures
Drownings
Struck by mobile equipment
A comprehensive approach to excavation safety encompasses all hazards associated with the work—not just the risk of trench collapse. In fact, excavation-related fatalities resulting from these other hazards often equal or exceed those caused by trench collapse alone.
Avoiding a trench collapse is often considered to be the primary subject in excavation safety training. This mindset is so prevalent that many people attending excavation training classes improperly call it “trench box training”. While preventing trench collapse is a fundamental part of excavation safety, it represents a fraction of a much broader safety program.
A comprehensive excavation safety training program must cover the 12 specific requirements found in the excavation rules, in Subpart P, 1926.651. Since 1989, they have been a part of required excavation training for workers on sites involving excavations.
Between 2023 and 2025, several workers were killed when they undermined small surface encumbrances, like sidewalks, brick walls, or fences. Soil removal, without consideration of the potential consequences, has led to fatal workplace incidents. By way of example, if one leg of a three-legged stool is removed, the stool becomes unstable and will not stay in place. The same principle applies to removing soil from under a surface encumbrance or immediately adjacent to the encumbrance. The structure can become unstable, resulting in unintended movement. It is for that reason OSHA mandates that any surface encumbrance be supported during excavation activity or be completely removed and replaced.
During that same 2023-2025 time period, similar fatal instances were related to being struck by a backhoe bucket, crushed by a bucket detached from a machine or struck by loads being lifted or moved by excavation equipment. Various parts of the 12 specific requirements address how to eliminate or mitigate hazards. For example, no workers are allowed to be underneath loads handled by lifting or digging equipment. Likewise, when an operator of a machine is either working next to an excavation or is approaching an excavation, and if they do not have a clear and direct view beyond the edge of the excavation, the employer must have in place a warning system for mobile equipment. Operators should assume that workers in the vicinity may be unaware of their surroundings or nearby job sites hazards, such as heavy equipment operation.
In addition, several fatal incidents occurred when excavation activities damaged or ruptured existing underground utilities. Simply requesting utility locates is not enough, nor is knowing the location of underground utilities. Excavators should ensure exposed utilities are protected from damage and adequately secured and supported to prevent movement. Underground pipelines and utilities are designed to be supported by surrounding soil. When excavation exposes one side of a pipe, that support is removed, potentially creating stresses that the utility was not designed to withstand. Deflection of a utility can result in damage, injuries, chemical releases and other serious consequences.
As excavation operations approach the approximate location of a buried installation, it is necessary to use soft digging techniques when within the tolerance zone of a utility. Check state 811 office for tolerance zone dimensions, as not all state rules are the same.
To offset the potential hazards associated with working around utilities, soft digging should be considered. Soft digging means using a method other than mechanical digging. It may mean using air chisels, hydro excavation systems, hand digging, or other similar methods that provide for low impact non-harmful displacement of soil. Should excavation activity cause a utility to be dented, deformed or scratched, notify the utility owner. Water lines can present an additional hazard. Fatalities have occurred when water lines were damaged due to shifting soil, lines being struck, or other reasons, resulting in water line breaks. The sudden influx of water can cause the protective system to fail, leaving workers unable to exit the excavation safely. Utility hazards are not limited to what lies underground. Many underground utilities are on a right-of-way where overhead powerlines are present. Excavation workers have died by electrocution when their excavator or other equipment came into contact with or were positioned too close to overhead powerlines. OSHA calls for excavators to protect underground installations by ordering locates to learn the estimated location of a utility and protecting those utilities when exposed.
Hazardous atmospheres may exist in an excavation. The likelihood of the atmosphere being hazardous is a function of the type of work being performed and location of the work. When working in a refinery, chemical plant or similar environment a hazardous atmosphere may exist or may reasonably be expected to develop. Fatal incidents can occur when hazardous atmospheric conditions present in the excavation are not recognized before entry. Where hazardous atmospheric conditions exist or may reasonably be expected to develop, the atmosphere must be tested before workers enter the excavation and monitored as necessary during the work. Effective ventilation, along with appropriate emergency rescue equipment—such as retrieval systems, safety harnesses, or stretchers—must also be readily available. Excavations are not automatically classified as confined spaces, but that does not mean hazardous atmospheres will not be found in an excavation. OSHA requires trench workers to be educated in the risks of hazardous atmospheres, and the proper mitigation of the same.
How is a contractor supposed to know these things?
Employers conducting excavation work should actively assess for worksite hazards and educate their workers on hazard mitigation or elimination. Training extends beyond the foreman, as the foreman may not be on site when an equipment operator begins to lift a load or move equipment. Workers must know what they can and cannot do if the supervisor is absent. Workers in the trench must appreciate that no one can be underneath a load handled by equipment or near a working backhoe bucket, without a supervisor telling them to do so. Workers involved in excavation operations must have excavation safety training.
While only one individual may serve as the Competent Person on a jobsite, every worker involved in excavation operations must understand the hazards, recognize unsafe conditions, and know how to work safely around them.
Employers conducting excavation activities can meaningfully reduce incidents and injuries through engagement of a trusted trench safety partner, education of workers and empowerment of workers to be responsible for their own safety. When workers understand that there are specific hazards, beyond trench collapse, that can result in incidents and injuries, it provides for a safer excavation work environment.