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Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations. Cave-ins pose the greatest risk and are much more likely than other excavation-related accidents to result in worker fatalities. Other potential hazards include falls, falling loads, hazardous atmospheres, and incidents involving mobile equipment.
Applies to all open excavations made in the earth’s surface. Excavations are defined to include trenches.
The standard does not apply to house foundation/basement excavations, including those that become trenches by definition when constructing formwork, foundations, or walls.
For this exemption to apply, all the following conditions must exist:
This exemption does not apply to utility excavations or trenches, which are covered by 29 CFR 1926.652.