ASSE Webinar to Focus on Excavation Safety

Feb. 27, 2008
Recognizing that excavation is one of the most hazardous construction operations, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will host a webinar on excavation safety in the construction industry March 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST.

Instructor Michael Hayslip will discuss general excavation safety requirements and offer real-world scenarios on ways to avoid trenching and excavation hazards. He will reference the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSE A10.12 Safety Requirements for Excavation – American National Standard for Construction and Demolition Operations during the webinar.

Hayslip also will cover soil field tests; warning signs of ground instability, such as tension cracks; bulging or water accumulation; and a selection of protective systems such as benching, shoring and trench boxes.

The webinar’s learning objectives include:

  • Understanding and being able to apply excavation best practices;
  • Recalling the key safety elements from ANSI/ASSE A10.12;
  • Recognizing the warning signs of ground instability;
  • Understanding how to protect yourself from hazards associated with water accumulation; and
  • Understanding how to select proper protective systems.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction and extraction worker fatalities rose 6 percent in 2006 from 1,184 fatalities in 2005 to 1,258 in 2006. Together, two occupational groups – construction and extraction occupations and transportation and material moving occupations – accounted for nearly half of all fatal work injuries in 2006.

In addition, OSHA points out that the fatality rate for excavation work is 112 percent higher than the rate for general construction.

Hayslip, the president and CEO of NESTI, a construction training and litigation support firm, currently serves as a member of the ANSI/ASSE A10.12 subcommittee on safety requirements for excavation.

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