CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE · Vol. 2021

Trench excavation health and safety in South African construction

Muziwandile Mabaso and John Smallwood

Keywords: Construction, Excavation, Health and Safety, Trenches

Abstract

Construction work is hazardous by nature, and trench excavation collapses contribute to the disproportionate number of fatalities and injuries in construction. A quantitative study was conducted in South Africa to produce a framework of interventions to enhance excavation health and safety (H&S) and mitigate excavation related injuries and fatalities. A selfadministered questionnaire was circulated among a sample stratum comprising construction supervisors, H&S Officers, design engineers, and construction managers. The salient findings include: a range of factors that contribute to excavation incidents; excavation hazard identification and risk assessment (HIRA) is important relative to a range of excavation-related hazards; a range of key excavation aspects are not addressed between a near major to major/major extent, and trench collapses impact primarily in the form of fatalities and other injuries, but also impact on performance relative to the other performance parameters. Conclusions include: a cocktail of interventions are necessary to mitigate excavation incidents; there is a need for enhanced supervision during excavations and enhanced excavation H&S knowledge and training; excavation H&S inspections are not effective, and trench collapses have a major as opposed to a minor impact. Recommendations include: an appropriate excavation H&S qualification and training should be developed and registered in terms of the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2000; employer associations should raise the level of awareness concerning excavation H&S; excavation H&S inspections must be comprehensive, and contractors should conduct detailed cost-benefit, and cost of accidents analyses relative to excavations.