ABSTRACT
Excavation work is an essential part of the construction process and one of the most hazardous. Building foundations and the installation of drainage, sewage and other services require trenches to be excavated. Because it is a hazardous operation several people are killed or seriously injured each year whilst working in excavations. Many are killed or injured by excavation wall collapses and falls of materials, others by contact with buried services. Excavation work has to be properly planned, managed, supervised and carried out to prevent accidents and ill-health to workers.
