Page 17 - Arkansas 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 3

construction.html Additional COVID-19 tips for the construction industry, as prepared by OSHA, can be found here: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/ OSHA4000.pdf
A Department of Labor spokesperson, though email correspondence, said the enforcement of ordinary labor laws is still in effect during the pandemic.
“Employers are and will continue to be responsible for providing a workplace free of known health and safety hazards. OSHA standards related to excavations, protective systems and underground construction remain
in place and are enforceable,” the spokesperson said.
They also included a link to OSHA’s trenching and excavation page, which includes information on their “Slope It, Shore It, Shield It” campaign, which is part of the agency’s Priority Goal
to reduce trenching and excavation hazards. The guidelines say cave-ins pose the greatest risk to workers’
lives, and that sloping or benching trench walls, shoring trench walls with
supports or shielding trench walls with trench boxes can help prevent cave-ins.
“Employers are and will continue to be responsible for providing a workplace free of known health and safety hazards.
Guidelines state that “employers should also ensure there’s a safe way to enter
and exit the trench. Keep materials away from the edge of the trench. Look for standing water or atmospheric hazards. Never enter a trench unless it has been properly inspected.”
More about OSHA’s trench safety information can be found here: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ trenchingexcavation/index.html
Finally, the spokesperson mentioned a 2018 safety and health information bulletin on avoiding underground utilities during horizontal drilling operations.
These guidelines will be particularly important in the short term, as federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, known colloquially as the CARES Act, provides economic recovery dollars for states, tribes and local governments for the expansion of rural broadband Internet access, spurring new utility construction.
More about OSHA’s horizontal drilling resources can be found here: https:// www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib031318.html
2020, Issue 3 Arkansas 811 Magazine • 15