Stop Preventable Deaths and Focus on Safe Digging During the Trench Safety Stand Down

Safety
Published

Today marks the start of the week-long 2020 Trench Safety Stand Down, organized by the National Utility Contractors Association and supported by OSHA. The stand down gives employers, supervisors and foremen the opportunity to speak directly to workers about trench and excavation hazards.

Since 2011, nearly 40% of all trenching fatalities have occurred at residential construction sites. With proper preparation and adherence to safety protocols, the number of trenching accidents and fatalities could — and should — drop to zero.

OSHA has made trench safety improvements an accountable goal for the agency. NAHB has also created a Trenching and Excavation Toolkit to provide home builders with resources and ideas to support these very important conversations.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, all home builders should practice distancing and implement other safe practices during their stand downs. For more information on holding a COVID-safety stand down, see the materials NAHB produced for the COVID-19 Job Site Safety Stand Down conducted in April.

Those who participate in this week’s stand down are encouraged to take pictures of their sessions and post them to social media using the tag #TSSD20. If you have not yet made plans to discuss trench safety this week, please consider using some of the resources below:

For questions about safety programs, visit nahb.org.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Legal | Land Development

Mar 10, 2026

Supreme Court Ruling Raises New Concerns About Cluster Mailboxes

Late last month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that illustrates the potential risks associated with the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) push for centralized mail delivery. The ruling has important implications for home builders and developers who are increasingly pressured to install cluster mailboxes in new residential communities.

Membership

Mar 10, 2026

NAHB Announces 7 Fall Recruitment Competition Winners

For their efforts, top Builder winners earned LG laundry machines, and Associate winners and all runners-up earned International Builders’ Show (IBS) VIP ticket packages, including registration to the show, IBS House Party tickets, opening ceremony seat reservations and VIP Closing Concert tickets.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Mar 11, 2026

Single-Family Permits End 2025 on a Soft Note

Single-family permitting softened over the course of 2025 and finished the year weaker than the prior year. After showing some resilience in 2024, permitting activity gradually lost momentum as elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability constraints weighed on buyer demand.

Economics

Mar 10, 2026

Existing Home Sales Rose in February

Following the sharp decline last month, existing home sales bounced back in February as housing affordability improved. Lower mortgage rates and moderating home price growth helped pull buyers back to the market. However, tight inventory will likely continue to push home prices higher if demand outpaces supply growth.

Economics

Mar 10, 2026

AD&C Loan Volume Falls Despite Declining Financing Costs

Single-family construction lending fell in the fourth quarter, according to data released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).