Access and Egress
To avoid fall injuries during normal entry and exit of a trench or excavation at your job site, ladders, stairways, or ramps are required.
This trench has inadequate shoring and access.
In some circumstances, when conditions in a trench or excavation become hazardous, survival may even depend on how quickly you can climb out. Use the following guidelines and safe practices to avoid excavation access-egress hazards:
- Provide stairways, ladders, ramps, or other safe means of egress in all trenches that are 4 feet deep or more.
- Position means of egress within 25 lateral feet of workers.
- Structural ramps that are used solely for access or egress from excavations must be designed by a competent person.
- When two or more components form a ramp or runway, they must be connected to prevent displacement, and be of uniform thickness.
- Cleats or other means of connecting runway components must be attached in a way that would not cause tripping (e.g., to the bottom of the structure).
- Structural ramps used in place of steps must have a non-slip surface.
- Use earthen ramps as a means of egress only if a worker can walk them in an upright position, and only if they have been evaluated and approved by a competent person.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-3. What is required during normal entry and exit of a trench?
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