About This Book
North Carolina Excavation Safety Guidelines integrate state damage prevention laws with OSHA standards to prevent cave-ins and underground utility strikes.
Call Before You Dig (NC 811) - Contact 811 at least 3 full working days before any excavation. - Wait for markings and verify all utility operator responses before breaking ground. - Protect marks — preserve stakes, flags, and paint markings throughout the project.
Trench and Excavation Safety Rules - Competent person — employers must designate a trained inspector to assess trenches daily and after changing conditions, including rainstorms. - Protective systems — sloping, benching, shoring, or shielding (e.g., trench box) is required for all excavations 5 feet deep or greater. - Safe egress — workers must have entry/exit access within 25 feet of a ladder, ramp, or steps in trenches 4 feet deep or deeper. - Material placement — keep excavated soil, equipment, and materials at least 2 feet from the trench edge. - Water accumulation — workers may not enter trenches with standing or accumulating water without proper precautions in place.
Practice Tests Using This Book
This book is required or recommended for 1 licensing exam. We've written 26 practice questions directly from this material, each one citing the chapter and section it comes from.