From 2000−09, 350 workers died in trenching or excavation cave-ins—an average of 35 fatalities per year, according to BLS. In many cases, OSHA reports that no protective systems were in place in the trenches that failed. NIOSH’s newest Workplace Solutions Bulletin, “Preventing Worker Deaths from Trench Cave-ins,” contains two case studies and offers guidance to help employers protect against the hazards that lead to cave-ins. Read the bulletin
here.
