Hazard Involved during the Excavation Process - Assignment Example

Hazard Description: after excavating, the soil and rocks become loose, and they can collapse at any time. If the trenches are not supported, the workers working in the trenches face the risk of being buried or being injured. One cubic meter of soil can weigh up to 1.5 tonnes and thus collapsing of trenches and basements is a major risk (Davies and Tomasin 53). In large projects, exaction works are done by machinery. Workers working in the trenches and basements may not have a proper site for the machine, and hence there is a risk of accidents occurring. When excavating near other buildings, the foundation of the neighboring buildings may be weakened, and cause them to collapse. The presence of services such as water pipes, electricity pipes, and sewer lines in the ground being excavated is a job hazard. The workers might get harmed by these services in case they are not aware they exist. The soil and rocks being excavated can fall back into the trench/basement and injure the workers working in the trench/basement (Davies and Tomasin 52). People on the site can fall into the trenches if they are not aware they exist or while trying to jump over them.

Hazard Control:
All the trenches should be supported
The sides of the basement and the trenches should be buttered
Excavated soil should be kept some distance from the trench
No workers should work within the working radius of the excavating machine
Edges of the trenches and basements should have substantial barriers to protect people from falling(Davies and Tomasin 56)
The workers should be aware of any services underground before they begin excavating. Read More