...
Connecticut operates an OSHA-approved State Plan covering only state and local government workers. Federal workers and private sector employers, and their workers are covered by federal OSHA.
Connecticut has adopted all federal OSHA standards for general industry and construction and incorporates the federal standards by reference.
Underground facilities
All public utilities in Connecticut must register with a central clearinghouse to receive notice of proposed excavations, demolition or discharge of explosives from excavators and to mark their underground utilities. The rules are contained in Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 16-345 – 16-359.
Highways
The Connecticut Department of Transportation requires the issuance of a permit before work can be performed on a state right of way, except in the case of an emergency. All highway excavating and trenching operations must conform to the current federal OSHA regulations for excavations. In addition, Connecticut provides the following rules with regards to highways.
Excavations and trenching. The following excavation and trenching rules must be followed by the permittee:
- The size of the excavation must be kept as small as practicable to carry out the work.
- Excavated material must be placed so as to interfere as little as possible with the ordinary use of the highway.
- Excavated material must not be placed in drainage ditches.
- Where there is a drainage structure in the vicinity of the excavation, the water in the trench must be discharged into the structure.
- Contaminated or excessively muddy water must not be allowed to flow in the gutter or enter the State drainage system.
- Where excavations in the shoulder area disturb earth berms, these berms must be replaced and stabilized in a manner acceptable to the District Maintenance Manager.
- Water in trench must not be pumped onto the pavement or travel way.
- A sump hole and pump should be employed if water is present in the ditch or trench and cannot be stopped or diverted.
- The permittee is prohibited from opening more trench than can be closed in one day.
Trench support. When trench support is required, a permit inspector may direct that such trench support be left in place in order to protect the highways from settlement damage during and after construction. Sheeting and bracing must be removed to a minimum depth of five feet below the surface unless the permit inspector directs otherwise.
Slide and cave-ins. If the pavement, shoulder or sidewalk along the side of the trench or excavation becomes damaged due to slides or cave-ins or other movements of the side of an excavation, whether or not it is sheeted, the permittee or his/her contractor must:
- Remove or safeguard the damaged pavement, improved shoulder or sidewalk;
- Take immediate remedial measures to prevent further deterioration of the highway or its appurtenances;
- Replace the entire amount of pavement, shoulder or sidewalk destroyed by slides or cave-ins; and
- Satisfactorily repair or replace them when damaged by lesser movements.
Jacking, boring, or tunnelling. Pipes and conduits crossing limited access highways, highways with heavy traffic, in areas of deep excavations or other special circumstances, must be installed by jacking, boring or tunnelling, except where proven to the satisfaction of the State, by the permittee, to be technically impractical.
Installations on all other highways, in areas where jacking and boring is technically impractical, or installations parallel to the traffic, may be placed by the open-cut method if approved by the District Maintenance Manager. No jetting or other use of water will be allowed in connection with jacking or boring.
The permittee is responsible for careful investigation of the permit area to determine the location of all existing utility, municipal, private or State-owned pipe or conduit lines and service connections. When required, he/she must submit a plan and profile showing all such lines and indicating the location of the proposed installation to be made.
When jacking or boring installations are under consideration, the permit applicant must submit detailed plans showing the method of operation, including the jacking and receiving pits, cradles and thrust blocks. If the plan is approved, the permit will be issued on this basis. The permittee must submit soil exploration data when required to do so by the District Maintenance Manager.
Blasting. Blasting must be accomplished in accordance with the provisions set forth in the current edition of the "Manual on Storage, Transportation and Use of Explosives and Blasting Agents," available from the State Fire Marshal's Office.
Backfilling. The backfilling of excavations on State highways must be performed so that the least possible settling will occur. The excavation must be filled with suitable material and thoroughly tamped in layers not to exceed six inches in thickness. The acceptability of excavated material to be used in the backfill will be determined by the State. Additional requirements include the following;
- Tamping methods. Tamping must be by means of mechanical rams, vibrators, hand tamps or by pneumatic tampers. If pneumatic tampers are used, they must have a tamping face area of not less than 50 square inches, and each complete assembly must have a weight of not less than two pounds per square inch. If a hand tamp is used it shall weigh not less than 12 pounds and have a tamping face area of not more than 50 square inches.
- Flushing. When approved or directed by the State, the backfill must be thoroughly consolidated by flushing the excavation with water.
- Sheeting and bracing. When sheeting and bracing are to be wholly or partly removed, this must be done as backfilling progresses. When backfilling has reached the bottom brace, the latter and its horizontal rangers must be removed, and this procedure must be repeated throughout the backfilling operation. The sheeting must be pulled in short increments; care being taken to avoid significant lateral movements of the sides of the trench. During and after pulling the sheeting, the backfill in the space formerly occupied by the sheeting must be thoroughly rodded and tamped.
- Base. The base in the pavement area and shoulder area must be in accordance with current Standard Specifications for Roads, Bridges and Incidental Construction, as revised, or as directed by the District Maintenance Manager.
- Unsuitable material. Unsuitable material must be removed promptly from the work site by the permittee or his contractor.
- Backfill. Backfill around tree roots must be placed carefully, tamped and puddled to prevent air pockets, root damage or settlement.
- Compaction tests. Compaction tests of the completed trench backfill may be required prior to the installation of the pavement replacement.
- Broken stone bedding encroachment. Where broken stone bedding is used around the pipe, provision must be made to physically prevent the encroachment into the voids between the stones of fine material present in the trench backfill material. This may be accomplished by covering the stone with an acceptable plastic sheeting or equivalent material.
Temporary pavement repairs. As soon as the excavations have been backfilled and tamped, the pavement must be replaced temporarily by the permittee. The temporary pavement:
- Must consist of bituminous concrete mixture approved by the Inspector;
- Compressed to a minimum depth of two inches on a base in accordance with current Standard Specifications for Roads, Bridges and Incidental Construction;
- Must not extend above or below the surface of the surrounding permanent pavement, and it must be reasonably smooth.
The permittee is responsible for the temporary pavement and must keep this pavement in repair until the permanent surface can be replaced.
An Inspector may require that the temporary pavement repair of an excavation be maintained until he/she is satisfied that the settlement of the backfill material is practically complete and that the permanent repair can be made without creating a hazard to the users of this highway.
Roadside repairs. The following rules for roadside repair must be followed by the permittee:
- In the area between the edge of the shoulder and right-of-way line, backfilled material must be tamped in excavations until flush with the surrounding ground surface.
- Excess material, roots, stones and debris must be removed by the permittee and all areas affected by his operations must be left in a neat and orderly condition.
- As the backfilled material settles, additional material must be placed by the permittee from time to time, as required, to keep the surface reasonably even.
- After the settlement is completed, the excavated area must be left by the permittee in as good a condition as before the work started.