Trench excavation in progress (Image: AdobeStock)

In 2022, there were 39 reported fatalities due to trench collapse in the US. The following year logged 15, and 12 in 2024 ).

Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a US non-profit trade association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, recently applauded the preliminary figures for the year.

鈥淭his steep 70% decrease since 2022 shows the effectiveness of focused safety partnerships, including CGA鈥檚 participation in OSHA鈥檚 Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations Alliance,鈥� said CGA.

Alliances, organisations were key to reducing trench deaths

While it鈥檚 just a three-year sample size, perhaps the high figure just below 40 in 2022 served as a catalyst for an organised response.

In summer of 2023, the multiple US-based trade organisations formed a group with OSHA鈥檚 National Trenching and Excavation Alliance dubbed the Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations Alliance.

New alliance aims to cut down on trench collapse deaths A new alliance aims to help small- and medium-sized construction businesses in the United States of America (USA) to protect employees from trenching, excavation and shoring hazards.

The partnership united the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), the North American Excavation Shoring Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the Associated General Contractors, the CGA, the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the Laborers鈥� International Union of North America to address trenching and excavating dangers.

Erika Lee, CGA鈥檚 executive vice president, told Construction Briefing, 鈥淲e definitely think coordination is key. 

鈥淲hen you think of the various different industries and stakeholders that are involved every day and and ensuring the safety of those that work in the excavation industry, it鈥檚 really important to make sure that all the parties are  working toward repeating the same messages toward a lot of those same safety messages that we know can be effective.鈥�

Lee continued, 鈥淥ne thing that this alliance did was it really brought together the right associations. So if you look at the participants involved, it really spans trade associations that bring together some of the most effective companies and organisations in the field as well as labor. 

Paramount to the consortium鈥檚 mission were 鈥渙utreach, education and training鈥�. One set of offerings were the Trench Safety Summits. The initiative was launched in states across the country and hosted by various partner members, which offered classroom training and outdoor demonstrations. NUCA also held its annual Trench Safety Stand Down event, which it runs each June amid NUCA-designated 鈥淭rench Safety Month鈥�. NUCA estimated it reaches more than 20,000 workers with its Stand Down event and Trench Safety Month.

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CGA added that 鈥� through the formwork of the alliance 鈥� programmes to facilitate communication and aid education on training were also key in seeing the welcomed drop in trench-collapse deaths. Simply making information on best practices for trench work easily available has led to better-prepared crews, CGA said.

A worker digging in a trench with shoring protection (Image: Adobe Stock)

鈥淭he dramatic reduction in trench collapse fatalities validates the effectiveness of safe digging practices 鈥� practices that are central to CGA鈥檚 mission and detailed in its landmark Best Practices Guide,鈥� said CGA, which added it 鈥渄eveloped comprehensive resources including communications tools, articles and graphics to help workers and organisations implement critical excavation, trenching and shoring safety protocols鈥� which are made available for free online (or to purchase in hard copy form).

The guide may appear to a trenching professional as just the tried-and-true basics of the industry, but it鈥檚 part of a holistic approach to ensuring every worker, manger, and owner is working (literally) from the same playbook.

What CGA said about trench fatality decrease

Lee noted organisation鈥檚 improvement of digital tools could be in part to thank for improving trench death figures.

鈥淏eing able to have a curriculum that broad and expansive... you have something that鈥檚 available to everybody in a digital format. It鈥檚 a very useful resource to the industry,鈥� Lee said.

Specifically in the US where a patchwork of rules and regulations may change from state to state, a level or overarching uniformity on the topic of trench safety can hammer home safety best practices.

鈥淢ultiple states having different information; we鈥檙e able to give out consistent information that we know will make people safer,鈥� Lee added. 鈥淥ne of the things that our data really tells us is that small- and mid-sized companies don鈥檛 have a lot of in-house training and education that they鈥檙e developing themselves. So, it鈥檚 really instrumental when you look at the resources that our associations have to be able to come up with key tools, resources, and messages that we can put in front of these small- to mid-size companies and organisations.鈥�

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Lee also noted that enforcement is key and credited OSHA鈥檚 zero tolerance policies.

鈥淥SHA really talks a lot about... aggressively enforcing. They鈥檙e very focused on zero tolerance,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淲e know that from our own data; when you鈥檙e talking more broadly about damage prevention. And what we鈥檝e seen is, when you鈥檙e in states where there鈥檚 not consistent enforcement of the regulations, you see an increased number of [incidents]. We really think that鈥檚 quite a key role.鈥�

Looking ahead, Lee said she sees leveraging new technology as a means to keep workers nationwide safer and collectively better prepared for the work at hand. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about communication between many different industries, many different governments, and many different [regions] making decisions on advancing technology. So, that鈥檚 where our next practices initiative is really focused.

鈥淗ow do we reduce barriers to tech adoption? Because we see the technologies are there, we see the solutions are there, but it鈥檚 how do we get multiple parties to move forward, invest in and buy in to changing how they鈥檝e done business because that would really advance safety practices at a more rapid rate.鈥�

OSHA data shows worker fatalities down across the board

Workers at height (Image: Adobe Stock)

According to a release of its preliminary data, in fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker deaths, an 11% reduction from 928 in the previous year. The administration said this is the lowest number of worker fatalities since 2017 (excluding Covid-related deaths).

OSHA added fatalities caused by falls 鈥� the leading cause of serious work-related injuries and fatalities in the construction industry 鈥� dropped from 234 to 189, a decrease of almost 20 percent.

Douglas Parker, assistant secretary with OSHA, said, 鈥淭hese numbers illustrate that enforcing a collaborative and worker-centred approach saves lives, and we have seen the greatest improvement in areas we have focused on with employers, unions and state programmes.鈥�

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