Essential Excavation Safety Tips for Workers

• Follow site rules and safe systems of work.
• Read and understand the risk assessment before starting work.
• Assume all underground services are live and use hand tools when working near marked service routes.
• Check that excavations are safe before starting work and after anything that could make them unstable, like heavy rain or a partial collapse.
• Know how you’ll get out of an excavation before starting work.

Multiple regulations apply to excavation work. While most focus on planning and site management, some directly affect day-to-day excavation work.

You obviously need to understand what’s expected of workers to ensure excavation safety. But an awareness of duty holder roles is also helpful. Understanding what they need to do before and during breaking ground will help you work more safely.

Several laws cover excavation safety. The most important are:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – Requires employers to protect workers from harm by providing a safe working environment, which includes properly planned and risk-assessed excavation work.
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) – Places legal duties on clients, contractors, and designers to manage excavation risks before work begins.
• Work at Height Regulations 2005 – Applies to excavation work where there’s a risk of falls, such as trenches deeper than 1.2 metres.
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) – Requires tools and machinery used for excavation to be suitable, safe, and properly maintained.

Before breaking ground, a competent person must inspect and risk assess the site. Based on the findings, the employer must implement the necessary control measures to eliminate or reduce risk to a practicable level.

But workers also have a general duty to work safely. You must:

• Follow agreed safe systems of work and site rules
• Use tools and personal protective equipment as instructed
• Report any equipment faults, hazards, near misses, or accidents immediately

Excavation work can’t start until a risk assessment has been carried out. This assessment can only be done by someone with enough knowledge, experience, and training to be considered competent.

This competent person must identify the hazards you’ll face and set out the control measures and procedures needed to avoid these hazards or reduce their capacity to harm.

The risk assessment should determine:

• Whether ground support, such as trench boxes or shoring, is needed
• Safe entry and exit points for workers
• Locations of any underground utilities
• Measures to prevent falls, such as edge protection or barriers
• Safe distances for placing equipment and spoil heaps

A risk assessment doesn’t automatically make you safer. You have to read and understand it before starting work and follow its recommendations at all times.

Risk assessments shouldn’t be static, either. If conditions change, the risk assessment must be updated, so be sure to report any developments that could affect your safety.

Even safe excavations can become unstable over time. Bad weather, vibrations from heavy machinery, or nearby work can all increase the risk of collapses.

A competent person needs to check the excavation site:

• At the start of each work shift
• After any event that could weaken the excavation, such as heavy rain or a partial collapse
• Before returning to work after a significant break

Assuming services are live is one of the most important excavation safety tips. Underground utilities are a major hazard during excavation work, and striking a live service can cause severe injury or even death. Always assume that buried cables and pipes are live unless confirmed otherwise.

A competent person must check site plans, use a cable avoidance tool (CAT), and mark the location of known services before excavation begins.

But utilities can still be misidentified or missed entirely. To minimise the risk of an underground strike, follow these safe excavation techniques:

• Use hand tools when working near marked service routes.
• Never assume a cable is dead just because it looks damaged or inactive.
• Stop work immediately if you hit or expose an unknown service and report it to your supervisor.

When excavating near services, high-energy equipment is high risk. Striking underground utilities with an excavator or power tool is much worse than a strike involving hand tools, so you should use the least powerful equipment that can still get the job done safely.

• Excavators should only be used to break the surface or when it has been confirmed that no service cables are present.
• Power tools must not be used unless there is at least 500mm of clearance from any identified services.
• Hand tools should always be used to expose service cables safely.

Also, an assistant should be present whenever an excavator is used to warn operators of any obstructions. The assistant must stay out of the excavator’s operating radius.

Trench walls must be properly supported to prevent collapses.

A competent person must decide which support method is needed based on ground conditions, excavation depth, and nearby loads or structures. Never enter an unsupported excavation unless a risk assessment confirms it’s safe.

Types of excavation support include:

• Trench Boxes – Prefabricated shields that prevent soil from caving in.
• Shoring – Hydraulic or timber supports that brace trench walls to prevent collapses.
• Battering – Cutting the sides of an excavation at an angle to reduce the risk of soil slipping.

Never assume a trench is safe just because it has stood for hours or days (ground conditions can change quickly). If you notice movement in the trench walls, report it immediately and leave the excavation site until it’s been checked by a competent person.

Heavy equipment, spoil heaps, and materials placed too close to an excavation can cause the walls to collapse. The weight adds pressure to the edges, making the ground unstable and increasing the risk of a cave-in.

To prevent this:

• Keep heavy machinery at a safe distance – Excavators, vehicles, and other equipment should remain well clear of the excavation edge. If machinery must be used nearby, ensure the trench is properly supported.
• Store spoil heaps away from the excavation – Piling soil or debris too close can cause it to fall back in and add pressure to trench walls. Follow site guidelines on safe distances.
• Use barriers where necessary – Physical barriers or stopblocks can prevent vehicles from getting too close.

Backfilling is essential for restoring stability after excavation work, but using the wrong material can cause long-term problems.

• Remove unsuitable materials – Large rocks, debris, or hard-core should not be included in the backfill, as they can damage underground services.
• Compact in layers – Backfill must be compacted in stages to prevent settling and ground movement. Power compactors can’t be used until at least 200mm of fine fill has been properly compacted.
• Watch how it settles – Even after backfilling, the ground can continue to settle. Any signs of sinking or shifting should be reported and assessed.

Excavations deeper than 1.2 metres must have a safe way to enter and exit. In an emergency, you need to be able to leave the excavation quickly.

Ladders are the most common means of access, but they must be:

• Placed at regular intervals – A ladder should be available within 7 metres of where any worker is operating.
• Secured to prevent movement – Ladders must be tied off or otherwise stabilised to avoid shifting.
• Taller than the excavation – The top of the ladder should extend at least 1 metre above ground level for safe access.

Before starting work, make sure you know where the nearest ladder is and that it’s properly secured. Never enter an excavation unless a safe exit route is in place.

The Health and Safety Executive offers plenty of free guidance on excavation safety, including a quick list of excavation safety tips for busy builders.

Following the excavation safety tips covered in this guide will help you avoid accidents on-site. But you need a deeper understanding to fully manage excavation risks.

Our IIRSM-approved Breaking Ground Training course will give you a practical understanding of risk assessments and site inspections, as well as best practices for excavation work. It also explains the control measures required under CDM 2015 and how to respond to excavation emergencies.