**Beware of the excavation rats: Part 3---emergency rescue procedures -
Safety Report\
*Concrete Construction Magazine\
*Original publish date: July 2002**

*By Michael W. Hayslip*

Quick! Your co-worker is trapped in an excavation failure. What should
you do?

First, imagine a well-intentioned helper jumping into the trench just as
the secondary failure covers them both. Imagine how they feel. It\'s
like having a pickup truck against their legs and chest. They cannot
move. Dirt creeps in with every breath! Now what?

The following list of suggestions on what to do if an excavation
collapse occurs is only a guide. It must be read, understood, discussed,
and then modified to meet your specific needs before a problem occurs.

Ultimately you may be the one who decides what gets done, by whom, and
when. So remember, this list is only a guide and is not to be used in
place of an emergency action plan.

Initial stage of a collapse (before rescue or recovery)

\* Shut down all equipment that might cause vibration (with the
exception of dewatering equipment).

\* Do not remove hand tools, personal protective equipment, or other
material from the scene that may be used to locate a victim.

\* Get other exposed individuals out of the excavation.

\* Be sure you are thinking clearly (breathe, focus, and evaluate the
situation).

\* Call 911 and be sure to relay the best unobstructed route to the
worksite. Some fire or rescue vehicles that are large and heavy may
require wide, unobstructed, and stable roadways. It is wise to send
someone out to meet the rescue vehicles. Many new construction projects
are on unmarked streets, so an escort can save valuable time.

\* Begin removing standing or seeping water.

\* When looking into a collapsed trench, do so from the short end rather
than along the length of the trench. Generally the short end is more
stable.

\* Span tension cracks with planks or a sheet of plywood if you \"must\"
be there. This will help to make the edge of the excavation safer even
if cracks are not initially seen.

\* Account for everyone.

\* Appoint someone to gather and retain critical facts for rescue
personnel, such as the time of the collapse, type of soil, depth of
excavation, available resources, and location of the victims and
utilities, if known.

\* Find out if the failure damaged a utility. If so, take appropriate
action.

\* Reroute traffic to eliminate vibration.

\* Secure the area.

\* Consider tying a digging tool to a rope and tossing it to a conscious
and able victim so that he or she may dig out without having another
person enter the excavation.

\* Do not enter a failed excavation without adequate protection.

Beginning of the rescue or recovery

Note: life-saving rescue attempts in excavation work are generally per
formed by hand and may take a considerable amount of time and labor. You
might be there all night so consider ordering lights to be delivered to
the project. You may have to request other material and resources, such
as shoring materials, equipment, supplies, and people to dig.

\* Work cooperatively with the professional rescue crews. They may be
seeing your job for the first time and may be anxious, especially if
they have never experienced a real-life excavation rescue. Remember that
they are there to help; work with them.

\* Call the home office to speak to an officer of the company. Inform
him or her of the situation and ask her or him to notify family members
and initiate the corporate emergency action plan.

\* Designate an experienced person to work with the media and family
members. Improperly handled media relations can destroy what remains of
the company.

\* Secure and separate witnesses; then get statements.

\* Control traffic and crowds. Reroute traffic as necessary.

\* Set up nesting zones. (See column 4, this page.)

\* If equipment is used to remove dirt from around a victim, dig so that
loosened soil will fall away rather than toward the victim. It is
generally bad practice to use equipment to dig someone out because the
vibration and surcharge can cause further failures. A better option
might be to locate and use a vacuum truck.

\* Do not attempt to pull a partially buried victim out by a rope or
sling. This may cut the victim in half or pull limbs from the body. It
may also loosen dirt enough to create a secondary cave-in.

When an incident occurs, it may be difficult to perform all activities
as well as you might like. You must make the correct call quickly and
sometimes without consultation, so preplanning is critical. Lives are at
stake!

Preplan for an emergency by staging a mock excavation collapse. At that
time you may want to introduce Nesting Zone, a means of controlling
efficient rescue efforts.

Zone 1 (closest to the failure) is where rescue and first-aid
professionals work.

Zone 2 serves as a rest station for rescue workers as well as a staging
area of materials, supplies, and equipment.

Zone 3 serves as a place for immediate family members, owner
representatives, and interested third parties including the media, or
general public.

Nesting zones help secure a site so that the people doing the rescue can
work efficiently without distraction. To do this, secure the site by
setting up three zones from the edge of the incident and allow only the
desired class of people access within each zone. Mark zones with paint
or caution tape. It is wise to station people to guard the integrity of
the zones.

Conclusion

Excavation failures hurt, maim, and kill workers. Understanding the
basics of how excavation failures happen and acting on them will prevent
such catastrophes. Be aware that the stability of soil is impacted by
numerous factors such as water, vibration, surcharge, freeze/thaw, type
of soil, and depth of soil.

OSHA safety standards exist to help you. Use them.

If it is your duty as a manager, supervisor, competent person, or safety
professional to be responsible for the safety of those who perform
excavation work, seek out good training to be able to identify and abate
or control this deadly hazard. Train all of your workers to know the
hazards and what to do to prevent them. Preplan for problems, including
rescue techniques. Finally, always, always, always listen and watch for
those running excavation rats.

This three-part article is dedicated to the following craft
professionals who died from June 23, 2000 to July 10, 2001 as a result
of a trench cave-in: Larry, Paul, Andrew, Keith, Carlos, David, Lautaro,
Samuel, Jorge, Larry, Michael, Phillip, Louis, Gregory, Robert, Bradley,
Chadd, Gerardo, Hugo, Jose, Pedro, Andrew, Elezar, Joel, Jerry, Kenneth,
Ollie, Greg, Leroy, Roberto, Jose, Jose, and Richard, plus the unnamed
thousands of others who suffered nonfatal injuries.

\--Michael W. Hayslip, lawyer and professional engineer, is also
president and owner of NESTI, a safety training and litigation support
firm in Dayton, Ohio. He may be reached at Hayslip@aol.com.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Hanley-Wood, Inc.