Work Cover NSW has issued a reminder to operators of earthmoving equipment to ensure they follow adequate safety precautions when working near excavation sites.
The warning follows a serious injury to a labourer last month, after he was trapped when the skid steer excavator a workmate was operating rolled over into a trench where he was working.
Work Cover NSW is continuing to investigate this incident, where it appears the close proximity of earthmoving equipment to an excavation site caused the soil underneath the operator’s skid steer excavator to collapse.
Work Cover NSW Chief Executive Officer, Jon Blackwell, said it is important that employers and workers in the construction industry are aware of the dangers of operating equipment near excavations.
“It is essential that adequate measures are taken to prevent the collapse of an excavation due to the use of mobile plant in the vicinity,” Jon Blackwell said.
“Work in high-risk areas, such as those around excavations greater than 1.5 metres deep, should involve a thorough risk assessment, close supervision and control measures.
“Where possible, avoid work in an area immediately adjoining an excavation,” he said.
Jon Blackwell said all employers had an obligation to ensure the health and safety of their workers and should ensure appropriate risk assessments and adequate safe work methods are in place.
Employers and those who operate earthmoving equipment should ensure the following:
- A competent person assesses the stability of the excavation at appropriate intervals, taking into consideration the activities around the excavation and the type and weight of the mobile plant used
- Appropriately qualified person designs and supervises the construction of suitable shoring, benching or battering
- That emergency procedures are developed and maintained in case of an excavation collapse