A Cave-in that Saved a Life

“The soil caved in without warning.” So many cave-in news stories describe events in this or a similar way. To me, that statement reveals a lack of understanding or serious thought. It comes across as if a cave-in is an anomaly, instead of the normal consequence of gravitational force.

Except for stable rock, all (I repeat “all”) vertical soil walls will naturally fall. That’s because the strength of the soil to stand unsupported is outmatched by the gravitational forces that will inevitably bring the soil down. To say this another way, soil cannot support its own weight indefinitely. The only warning someone will get is in some kind of safety training, formal or informal that explains soil mechanics.

We find that many workers are deceived by certain soils such as clays, that seem to have the ability to stand indefinitely. Unfortunately, clay soils will cave in as well as other soil types. Sometimes soils cave in as soon as excavated, others stand unsupported for a while. But they will all fail eventually. The question is not “if” but “when”.

Employees in excavations need to be protected and there are plenty of safety systems and methods available to protect employees, and with an understanding of these protective systems, excavation work can be done safely and efficiently.

Often, someone will tell me about an excavation incident that is truly unusual. For instance, someone once told me that years ago when working in an unprotected trench, a section of soil caved in, and it was large enough to knock him off to one side. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured by that chunk of soil, even though many workers are injured and even killed in small cave-ins. In this case though, that initial cave-in saved his life, because immediately after that, a massive cave-in fell right where he had been working. That man shuddered when he recounted how he could’ve been killed that day.

I think that’s the only time I’ve ever heard where a small cave-in saved someone by knocking them out of range of a larger, more massive cave-in.

For more information on this and other excavation safety topics I refer you to www.trenchandexcavationsafety.com

Your safety personnel and foremen need this reference book to help with the job of keeping employees safe. The book is only $39.00 while an accident or OSHA fines are many times more costly. Keep your employees educated and up to date.

I’ll also include a supplement on how safety professionals can improve training skills.

Thank you for your business and for reading this today. Blessings