Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations

Raising Awareness: Outreach and Communication

Awareness Goals

Share information on OSHA’s National Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process, including those relevant to trenching, excavation, equipment operators and construction related activities.

Share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers through communications such as: OSHA and stakeholder websites, print, electronic (newsletters, membership network emails) and social media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., utilizing OSHA campaign #hashtags), and scheduled calls/meetings.

Develop information on the recognition and prevention of trenching hazards as well as other Focus Four hazards including falls, struck-by and other topics identified over the course of the Alliance, and communicate such information (e.g., electronic newsletters, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA and Alliance websites) to employers and workers in the industry. Ensure information developed encourages and reflects the diversity of the workforce and are accessible in multiple languages and formats.

Encourage stakeholders to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including trench safety and construction related activities.

Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by engaging with labor representatives from Laborers’ International Union of North America and the International Union of Operating Engineers to ensure that worker perspectives are taken into account, and that resources and training materials/programs developed and offered through this alliance are made available in appropriate languages to equitably meet the needs of their target audiences.

Speak, exhibit and / or appear at OSHA forums and roundtable discussions, and Alliance and industry meetings, conferences (e.g., Annual ConExpo-Con / Agg (CECA), Annual Utility Expo, Trenching Safety Summit, etc.), and equipment / trade shows (e.g., World of Asphalt) to collaborate and forge innovative, creative, and effective ways to fill the gap in trench and shoring safety communication and education between industry, government, and small- to medium- sized contractors.

Alliance Signatory Organizations

Through the Alliance, the organizations will provide their members/associations and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers by reducing and preventing exposure to trenching, excavation, shoring, and other “Focus Four” hazards and addressing equipment related issues, as well as understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).