The easiest way to make sure that your excavation site remains safe is to plan ahead. Not only do you need to have a solid plan for the excavation itself, but you also need to have a safety plan. There are four main considerations that you must make before you even start your excavation in order to make sure that no one is harmed during the excavation process:

1. How are You Going to Keep People From Falling in?

If you are excavating in a public place, for example if  you need to replace an underground waterline, there are going to be people around the excavation site that are not necessarily professionals. Before you start your excavation, you need to make sure that you have a comprehensive plan for keeping these people safe.

You can block off the entire area so that no one can go within 20 kilometers of the excavation site or merely put fencing around the hole itself in order to draw attention to it and provide a physical obstacle to people falling in.

Regardless of the option that you choose, you need to make sure that you have the materials to block off the area. Don't start digging until you have fences, safety barrels, or other barriers.

2. What if Someone Falls in or a Worker is Injured?

The next consideration that you need to make is how you are going to respond in the case of an emergency. Create a comprehensive emergency plan so that emergency services are called immediately and that every level of management is informed in an orderly fashion. Assigning roles ahead of time, such as designating who is going to call emergency services, will ensure that if an emergency does occur, the response is smooth and calculated.

3. How Will Employees Enter and Exit the Excavation?

One of the most common problems at an excavation site is that workers have a hard time getting in and out of the excavation. Before you starting digging, make a plan. If you're going to have them use ladders, make sure the ladders are on site before the excavation begins. If you are going to utilize a rope and pulley system, have those materials on hand.

4. Where Will You Put the Waste?

Excavations create waste, the most obvious being the dirt that is removed. Make sure that you have a location set ahead of time to put this dirt and other waste in order to make sure that it does not contaminate the water supply or cause any other problems.

For more information about planning your excavation site, talk to your excavation contractor. He or she will have the experience to provide best-practice ideas to make sure that everyone stays safe. To learn more, contact a company like Prattco industrial Excavating with any questions or concerns you have.