JHA for excavation: US trench and groundworks template
An excavation JHA should identify the ground, buried services, protective system and safe entry decision before a worker approaches the edge or enters. This fillable form follows the work from locating utilities through digging, inspection, entry, task work, backfill and closure. It does not classify soil, design a shield or slope, identify a utility from a map, or authorize entry on behalf of the employer's designated competent person. If the protective decision, utilities or changing conditions are unknown, hold the affected work.
For US construction, start with OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P, particularly 1926.651 and 1926.652. Check the OSHA-approved State Plan, utility notification law and local permit/traffic rules. The existing Complys US JHA guide owns the method of writing JHAs generally; this is a task-specific worksheet.
Job and competent-person record
| Field | Site entry |
|---|---|
| Project, exact location, date and employer | |
| Scope: excavation/trench purpose and planned depth/width | |
| Designated excavation competent person and contact | |
| Equipment operator, supervisor and affected trades | |
| Ground information, soil and nearby structures/loads | |
| Known services and utility owner/location record | |
| Protective-system design/selection and approval | |
| Access/egress and pedestrian/traffic controls | |
| Spoil and equipment setback plan | |
| Water, atmosphere, weather and change triggers | |
| Emergency/rescue contact and route | |
| Inspection date/time, finding and entry decision |
No-entry gate: record the competent person's assessment and the applicable cave-in protection decision before anyone enters. OSHA 1926.652(a) generally requires an adequate protective system for employees in excavations; exceptions include stable rock and excavations under 5 feet only when the competent person's ground examination shows no indication of a potential cave-in. “Under 5 feet” is not a universal safe-entry rule. A deeper excavation or challenging site may require a qualified engineered design under the standard's specified options.
Fillable work-step table
For every step, record Pass / Action / Hold, the person confirming the control and a reference to the actual drawing, permit or inspection. Do not mark “N/A” without a reason.
| Step | Hazard and consequence | Site-specific controls/evidence to enter | Release/stop point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Survey and plan | Unknown ground, nearby structure, traffic or public exposure. | Locate excavation on plan; assess ground history, loads, adjacent foundations, route and work interface. | Competent person/engineer as needed; HOLD on unknown structural effect. |
| 2. Find buried services | Strike on electric, gas, water, sewer or communications line. | Obtain available utility information, notify owners within applicable time, locate/verify exact position by safe means near estimated line. | Supervisor/utility; HOLD if exact location cannot be safely established. |
| 3. Set barriers and plant | Person/vehicle enters excavation; machine overturn or strikes worker. | Mark work zone, position plant, separate pedestrians, establish spotter/communication and control spoil/equipment at edge. | Site lead; HOLD if edge/plant separation fails. |
| 4. Excavate and install protection | Cave-in or falling material during digging/protection installation. | Select/install sloping, shoring or shield under applicable design; coordinate excavation with support; keep workers out of unprotected zone. | Competent person; HOLD until protective system assessed. |
| 5. Inspect before entry | Rain, vibration, water or soil change undermines earlier decision. | Competent-person inspection and reinspection after hazard-increasing event; document water, cracks, movement and system condition. | Competent person; NO ENTRY on unsafe finding. |
| 6. Access and work | Fall, trapped worker, hazardous atmosphere, unstable material or plant movement. | Confirm safe access/egress, overhead loads, atmosphere where indicated, communication and emergency route. | Task lead; STOP if conditions change. |
| 7. Backfill and close | Support removal causes collapse; person/plant enters open ground. | Follow protective-system removal sequence, keep people out of danger, backfill with removal and restore barriers/surface. | Competent person/site lead. |
The table is intentionally a prompt. A form cannot supply slope ratios or trench-box capacity without soil classification, depth, loading and the selected system's data.
Utility location is more than a mark on a map
OSHA 1926.651(b) requires estimated underground-installation locations to be determined before opening an excavation, utility owners to be contacted within local response times, and exact location to be determined by safe and acceptable means as digging approaches a utility. Protect, support or remove exposed installations as necessary while the excavation is open. A one-call ticket or plan is a starting point, not authority to mechanically excavate through an uncertain service. State one-call law and owner permits may be more specific. Document a clear stop point for conflicting marks, unknown services or damaged line; keep workers back and contact the proper owner/emergency service.
Example: a marked gas service crosses the planned trench, but the depth is not confirmed. The excavator stops short of the estimated position. The site team uses the permitted safe means to establish the exact location and agrees support/protection with the utility owner before continuing. It does not infer depth from an old drawing.
Protective systems and changing ground
Choose a system allowed by 1926.652: sloping/benching, support or shielding as appropriate to the actual conditions, manufacturer data or qualified design. Record soil classification and water/adjacent-load effects under the standard. Do not tell workers a trench box makes the ground outside the box stable. Protect entry/exit to the shield and follow its limits. Additional precautions apply to support installation and removal; coordinate support with excavation/backfill.
OSHA 1926.651(k) requires inspections by a competent person before work and as needed throughout the shift; inspections also follow rainstorms or other hazard-increasing occurrences. If evidence of a possible cave-in, failure of protection, hazardous atmosphere or other dangerous condition appears, exposed employees must be removed until necessary precautions are taken. Record who inspected, when, what changed and whether entry remains authorized. The morning signature does not survive an afternoon collapse warning or heavy rain.
Water accumulation and hazardous atmospheres require their own controls under 1926.651. A sewer or contaminated-ground excavation may need atmospheric testing and a specialist entry/rescue plan. Do not send a rescuer into a collapsed or hazardous excavation using a generic JHA; call trained emergency responders and follow the site plan.
Spoil, access and nearby work
Control loose material, equipment and traffic at the edge, and protect employees from falling loads. Plan safe access and egress for the trench depth and configuration under the relevant 1926.651 provisions. Check whether a nearby foundation, wall, pavement, scaffold, crane outrigger or heavy truck can affect stability. Ask a qualified engineer when excavation may undermine a structure; do not rely on a site supervisor's visual impression for structural support. Coordinate pedestrian/public barriers and vehicle movement so no one assumes another trade is managing them.
Brief, inspect and close
| Decision record | Entry |
|---|---|
| Crew and operator briefed on utilities, protection, access and stop signal | |
| Competent person pre-work inspection, time and findings | |
| Protective-system design/manufacturer data location | |
| Utility owner/permit or location confirmation | |
| Entry authorized by / time / limits | |
| Rain, water, vibration, new load or soil change and reinspection | |
| Work stopped, people removed, corrective action and restart decision | |
| Backfill, barrier removal and final surface handover |
Keep the current JHA with excavation inspection records, utility responses, drawings, protective-system data, permits and any engineering release. Rebrief when the route, depth, support, equipment, weather or crew changes. An electronic checklist may retain versions and actions, but it cannot certify ground or authorize entry without the competent person's real inspection.
What a site-specific version must add
Fill in depth, soil and ground evidence; exact utility locations; protective-system design and calculations/manufacturer limits; structures and adjacent loads; entry/egress; traffic/public controls; water and atmosphere; emergency method and named competent person. The intended work may require additional state or municipal permits. Have a specialist review deep, complex or structurally sensitive excavation. No generic JHA is a trench design or permit.
The observed Complys US OSHA page markets JHA records, but public copy does not prove an implemented US excavation workflow. Verify the exact money route and plan before CTA. Do not claim Complys locates utilities, classifies soil, designs shoring or grants entry. A safe next step is: Ask Complys to show how its current US product stores a completed competent-person JHA, inspection and corrective-action history.
Source, claim, owner, product and writer-side QA register — 5 October 2026
| Claim/check | Primary/observed evidence | Decision and gate |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation rules, utilities, inspection, access and water | OSHA 1926.651 | Competent-person/site and State Plan review; no generic safe depth. |
| Cave-in protection and exceptions | OSHA 1926.652 | Under-five-foot exception qualified correctly; no design supplied. |
| Competent-person role | OSHA trench competent-person eTool | Named site decision-maker required; form cannot certify conditions. |
| Search intent | Existing US JHA how-to | New task worksheet, not duplicate general JHA guide; repo/unpublished route check before publication. |
| Product and links | Observed US OSHA software owner | Marketing ≠ implementation; no utility, soil or shoring capability claim. |
| Copy QA | Fillable steps, no-entry gates, utility and weather scenarios, inspection/restart record | READY writer-side; independent excavation/OSHA/state/product and whole-page QA required. |
Terminal writer-side disposition: READY. No Complys site or repository content was changed.