Excavation work can be dangerous and precautions must be taken when excavating a trench, tunnel or shaft.
Before excavation work is carried out the person with management or control of the workplace must:
- take reasonable steps to obtain information about any underground essential services including the location and depth of the pipes, cables or other plant
- provide information on the underground services to any person engaged to carry out the excavation work and have regard to this information
- ensure the information about underground services is available for inspection
- ensure the information about the underground services is kept until the excavation work is completed or for at least two years after a notifiable incident.
Management of risks
A PCBU has a primary duty of care to manage risks including the following:
Trenches at least 1.5 metres deep must be secured to prevent unauthorised access or inadvertent entry and to minimise trench collapse by shoring, benching and / or battering.
Work done in or near a shaft or trench with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres or in tunnels, is classified as high risk construction work and a safe work method statement must be prepared.
The draft code of practice Excavation work provides more information.
Call 13 10 50 for more information about excavation work.