Trench Safety Checklist

• Audit Title

• Document No.

• Client / Site

• Conducted on

  Date

• Prepared by

• Location
  Address

• Personnel

Services

• Have all services been lcoated?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• If required have services been positively proved by potholing?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Has an excavation permit been issued?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Risk Assessment

• Has a JSEA/SWMS been developed for the task?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Has emergency rescue procedures been developed and communicated for the works?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Does the JSEA/SWMS identify and control the risks of erecting and dismantling propriteary systems (shielding & shoring)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there provision for safe movement between the different levels of the excavation?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the correct PPE being worn?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the trench a confined space? (if yes, the relevant State Confined Space Regulations and the Fulton Hogan Confined Space Procedure shall be complied with)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Barricading & Fencing

• Is the trench effectively fenced/barricaded so there is no exposure to a fall into the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is para-webbing barricading placed 2 metres back from the edge of the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is their appropriate signage on the fencing?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there a risk to the public of falling into the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Proprietary Supports (Shoring, Shielding & Battering)

• Has shielding and shoring been placed into the trench? *NOTE* No person to enter the trench until supports have been installed

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• If no to the above question has the trench been battered correctly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the shields 0.3m above the batter?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Has the pressure on the trench wall been evaluated to ensure it is within tolerances?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the top edge of the trench fretting away or dropping into the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there any risk of rock or other material burying trapping or striking a worker in the excaavation?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there any risk to the worker in the trench from old service, manholes, shafts, leaking services, flooding etc?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Check

• Is there any risk to the worker in the trench from plant operations (burying, striking etc)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the edge of the trench able to support the plant?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is earthmoving plant being used safely? (qualifications, maintenance, proximity to workers etc)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Accessing the Trench

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• When accessing and exiting the trench is there exposure to the open trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there trip hazards around the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Does the work platform have handrails, kickplates and in good working order?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the platform stable so it cannot fall?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there any gaps between the work platform and the edges of the trench that would expose someone to a fall?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are ladders only being used for access & egress?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the ladders maintained and in good working order?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Do the ladders have an AS/NZ 1892 label plate on them?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the ladders industrial grade?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the ladders placed correctly so that the worker has safe access to the trench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the ladders secured with at least 1m protruding above the excavation/shield?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the ladders placed on a solid and stable surface?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Danger Signs

• Is there a slump in the surface near the excavation, or ground subsidence behind the supports indicated by ground swelling up from the bottom of a trench or water running into an excavation from the bottom of trench supports or from between sheet piling?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there tension cracks opeing in the surface ground and running parallel to the sides of a trench or are the support timbers bowing or creaking or intersected joints in the walls of a tench?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Sign Off

• Actions Certified as Competed By:

• (Safety Coordinator or Senior Manager)

  Sign

• Select date

  Date

• Approval to Begin/Continue Work in the Tench By:

• (Safety Coordinator or Senior Manager)

  Sign

• Select date

  Date