An excavation safety checklist is the record of a competent person looking at a trench or excavation before anyone works in it: are the services found, are the sides held back, is spoil and plant kept away from the edge, is there a way out, and has anything changed since yesterday. This one asks for the depth and ground first, shows only the checks for the protective system you are actually using, and ends with a clear yes or no on entry. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Trench collapses give no warning worth having
A cubic metre of soil weighs over a tonne and a half. When a trench wall goes, it goes in a second, and a worker buried to the chest can be killed by the pressure alone before anyone can dig them out. Depth is not a reliable guide: people die in trenches they could have looked over the edge of.
That is why the daily inspection is not a formality. Ground that held yesterday can be different today after rain, a frost and thaw, a new load parked at the edge, or vibration from plant or traffic.
When to inspect
Most regimes expect a look by a competent person at these points, and this form asks which one it is:
- Before work starts in the excavation each shift.
- After rain, flooding or any water getting in.
- After anything that could have weakened the sides — vibration, a new load near the edge, a crack or a fall of material.
- After an incident or a near miss.
- On a longer cycle, often weekly, for a formal recorded inspection, as your local rules require.
Protective systems, and the figures in the US rules
There are four ways to stop the sides coming in: slope them back, step them back in benches, hold them with shoring, or put people inside a trench box or shield. This form asks which you are using and only shows those checks.
In the US, OSHA's excavation rules (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P) are the usual reference: a protective system is needed from 5 feet deep unless the excavation is in stable rock, a registered professional engineer designs it beyond 20 feet, spoil and equipment stay at least 2 feet back from the edge, and a ladder, ramp or stairway must be within 25 feet of lateral travel in trenches 4 feet deep or more. Soil is classified as stable rock or Type A, B or C, and the maximum slope depends on the type.
Other countries put it differently — the UK and Australia set duties around a risk assessment and temporary works design rather than fixed depths — so treat the US figures as context, not as the rule where you are.
Find the services before the bucket does
Striking a gas main or a high-voltage cable is the other way excavations kill. Locate and mark buried services before digging, using the utility records and a cable locator, keep the locate ticket in date, and dig by hand near the marks. Record the ticket or permit number on this form so the check can be traced.
Common questions
Who is the competent person for an excavation?
Someone who can recognise the hazards in and around an excavation — the ground, water, atmosphere, protective systems — and who has the authority to stop work and fix them. In the US that is a defined role under Subpart P; elsewhere it is whoever the employer has trained and appointed for the job.
How deep can a trench be before it needs shoring?
In the US, 5 feet, unless it is entirely in stable rock — and shallower if the competent person sees signs of possible collapse. UK and Australian rules do not fix a depth; they require the sides to be supported wherever there is a risk of collapse.
How far back should spoil be kept?
In the US, at least 2 feet from the edge, or held back by a retaining device. Further is better, and heavy plant and stored materials should be kept further still — their weight is what pushes walls in.
Do I need to test the air in a trench?
Where a hazardous atmosphere could reasonably be present — near landfill, sewers, fuel storage or gas mains, or in a deep excavation where fumes can collect. In the US that test is required in excavations over 4 feet deep where such an atmosphere could exist.
What should happen if the inspection finds a problem?
If there is any sign of possible collapse, water build-up or a failed protective system, everyone comes out until it is put right. The form ends with an explicit entry decision for that reason, and a "no entry" decision asks who was told and how the excavation has been closed off.