It is Vital to Focus on Digging During Trench Safety Stand Down this Week

Safety
Published

Trenching accidents almost always involve an unthinkable event that can lead to injury or death: Being buried alive. But every trench failure is avoidable with proper planning, training and safety measures.

Beyond the obvious motivation to avoid serious injuries and deaths, OSHA last year announced a national enforcement emphasis program for trench safety after a spike in trenching deaths.

The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) organizes an annual Trench Safety Stand Down in the middle of June. This week’s focus for National Safety Month is also trenching.

The stand down gives employers and supervisors the opportunity to speak directly to workers about trench and excavation hazards.

Trench collapses, or cave-ins, pose the greatest risk to workers' lives. To prevent cave-ins, jobsites should use OSHA’s “Slope It. Shore It. Shield It.” method:

  • SLOPE or bench trench walls,
  • SHORE trench walls with supports, or
  • SHIELD trench walls with trench boxes

According to NUCA, most trenching accidents occur in trenches of 5 to 15 feet deep, and there is usually no warning before a cave-in.

The Trench Safety Stand Down is a good time for home builders to review their procedures for digging and excavating. NAHB has a video toolbox talk (embedded below) that builders can use to present to their workers and subcontractors, and additional resources in the NAHB Trenching and Excavation Toolkit.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

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

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Student Chapters | Workforce Development

Jul 25, 2025

NAHB's Student Chapters Helped Give Her Confidence to Pivot Careers

Zhetique Gunn's early exposure to building and problem-solving has led to national recognition and a city-level impact as an urban planner in Washington, D.C.

Jul 24, 2025

Federal Court Upholds New York State Gas Ban

The federal court for the Northern District of New York on July 23 upheld New York state’s “gas ban” legislation. New York’s legislation is the first statewide law that restricts natural gas use in new buildings, effectively banning gas stoves and other fossil fuel appliances in most new construction starting in 2026.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jul 25, 2025

Market Share of 5,000+ Square Foot New Homes Started Declines in 2024

In 2024, there were 24,000 homes that exceeded 5,000 square feet, equating to a 2.3% market share of all new homes started. Both the number and market share for 5,000+ square foot homes experienced declines from 2023, according to the annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).

Economics

Jul 24, 2025

New Home Sales Hold Steady at a Relatively Tepid Level

Challenging affordability conditions, elevated interest rates and economic uncertainty continue to act as headwinds on the housing sector as many potential buyers continue to stay on the sidelines.

Economics

Jul 23, 2025

Existing Home Sales Retreat to 9-Month Low

Existing home sales fell to 9-month low in June as home prices hit another monthly record high, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sluggish pace of sales suggest that higher mortgage rates and elevated home prices are continuing to sideline buyers, despite improved inventory conditions.