(6) Obstructions shall not be laid on or across the gangway. (7) The means of access shall be adequately illuminated for its full length. (8) Unless the structure makes it impossible, the means of access shall be so located that the load will not pass over employees. (c) Working surfaces of barges. (1) Employees shall not be permitted to walk along the sides of covered lighters or barges with coamings more than 5 feet high, unless there is a 3-foot clear walkway, or a grab rail, or a taut handline is provided. (2) Decks and other working surfaces shall be maintained in a safe condition. (3) Employees shall not be permitted to pass fore and aft, over, or around deckloads, unless there is a safe passage. (4) Employees shall not be permitted to walk over deckloads from rail to coaming unless there is a safe passage. If it is necessary to stand at the outboard or inboard edge of the deckload where less than 24 inches of bulwark, rail, coaming, or other protection exists, all employees shall be provided with a suitable means of protection against falling from the deckload. (d) First-aid and lifesaving equipment. (1) Provisions for rendering first aid and medical assistance shall be in accordance with Subpart D of this part. (2) The employer shall ensure that there is in the vicinity of each barge in use at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved 30-inch lifering with not less than 90 feet of line attached, and at least one portable or permanent ladder which will reach the top of the apron to the surface of the water. If the above equipment is not available at the pier, the employer shall furnish it during the time that he is working the barge. (3) Employees walking or working on the unguarded decks of barges shall be protected with U.S. Coast Guard-approved work vests or buoyant vests. (e) Commercial diving operations. Commercial diving operations shall be subject to Subpart T of Part 1910, §§ 1910.401-1910.441, of this chapter. [39 FR 22801, June 24, 1974, as amended at 42 FR 37674, July 22, 1977] § 1926.606 Definitions applicable to this subpart. (a) “Apron"-The area along the waterfront edge of the pier or wharf. (b) "Bulwark"-The side of a ship above the upper deck. (c) "Coaming"-The raised frame, as around a hatchway in the deck, to keep out water. (d) "Jacob's ladder"-A marine ladder of rope or chain with wooden or metal rungs. (e) "Rail", for the purpose of § 1926.605, means a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck. (a) Walkways, runways, and sidewalks shall be kept clear of excavated material or other obstructions and no sidewalks shall be undermined unless shored to carry a minimum live load of one hundred and twenty-five (125) pounds per square foot. (b) If planks are used for raised walkways, runways, or sidewalks, they shall be laid parallel to the length of the walk and fastened together against displacement. (c) Planks shall be uniform in thickness and all exposed ends shall be provided with beveled cleats to prevent tripping. (d) Raised walkways, runways, and sidewalks shall be provided with plank steps on strong stringers. Ramps, used in lieu of steps, shall be provided with cleats to insure a safe walking surface. (e) All employees shall be protected with personal protective equipment for the protection of the head, eyes, respiratory organs, hands, feet, and other parts of the body as set forth in Subpart E of this part. (f) Employees exposed to vehicular traffic shall be provided with and shall be instructed to wear warning vests marked with or made of reflectorized or high visibility material. (g) Employees subjected to hazardous dusts, gases, fumes, mists, or atmospheres deficient in oxygen, shall be protected with approved respiratory protection as set forth in Subpart D of this part. (h) No person shall be permitted under loads handled by power shovels, derricks, or hoists. To avoid any spillage employees shall be required to stand away from any vehicle being loaded. (i) Daily inspections of excavations shall be made by a competent person. If evidence of possible cave-ins or slides is apparent, all work in the excavation shall cease until the necessary precautions have been taken to safeguard the employees. § 1926.651 Specific excavation require ments. (a) Prior to opening an excavation, effort shall be made to determine whether underground installations; i.e., sewer, telephone, water, fuel, electric lines, etc., will be encountered, and if so, where such underground installations are located. When the excavation approaches the estimated location of such an installation, the exact location shall be determined and when it is uncovered, proper supports shall be provided for the existing installation. Utility companies shall be contacted and advised of proposed work prior to the start of actual excavation. (b) Trees, boulders, and other surface encumbrances, located so as to create a hazard to employees involved in excavation work or in the vicinity thereof at any time during operations, shall be removed or made safe before excavating is begun. (c) The walls and faces of all excavations in which employees are exposed to danger from moving ground shall be guarded by a shoring system, sloping of the ground, or some other equivalent means. (d) Excavations shall be inspected by a competent person after every rainstorm or other hazard-increasing occurrence, and the protection against slides and cave-ins shall be increased if necessary. (e) The determination of the angle of repose and design of the supporting system shall be based on careful evaluation of pertinent factors such as: Depth of cut; possible variation in water content of the material while the excavation is open; anticipated changes in materials from exposure to air, sun, water, or freezing; loading imposed by structures, equipment, overlying material, or stored material; and vibration from equipment, blasting, traffic, or other sources. (f) Supporting systems; i.e., piling, cribbing, shoring, etc., shall be designed by a qualified person and meet accepted engineering requirements. When tie rods are used to restrain the top of sheeting or other retaining systems, the rods shall be securely anchored well back of the angle of repose. When tight sheeting or sheet piling is used, full loading due to ground water table shall be assumed, unless prevented by weep holes or drains or other means. Additional stringers, ties, and bracing shall be provided to allow for any necessary temporary removal of individual supports. (g) All slopes shall be excavated to at least the angle of repose except for areas where solid rock allows for line drilling or presplitting. (h) The angle of repose shall be flattened when an excavation has water conditions, silty materials, loose boulders, and areas where erosion, deep frost action, and slide planes appear. (i)(1) In excavations which employees may be required to enter, excavated or other material shall be effectively stored and retained at least 2 feet or more from the edge of the excavation. (2) As an alternative to the clearance prescribed in paragraph (i)(1) of this section, the employer may use effective barriers or other effective retaining devices in lieu thereof in order to prevent excavated or other materials from falling into the excavation. (j) Sides, slopes, and faces of all excavations shall meet accepted engineering requirements by scaling, benching, barricading, rock bolting, wire meshing, or other equally effective means. Special attention shall be given to slopes which may be adversely affected by weather or moisture content. (k) Support systems shall be planned and designed by a qualified person when excavation is in excess of 20 feet in depth, adjacent to structures or improvements, or subject to vibration or ground water. (1) Materials used for sheeting, sheet piling, cribbing, bracing, shoring, and underpinning shall be in good serviceable condition, and timbers shall be sound, free from large or loose knots, and of proper dimensions. (m) Special precations shall be taken in sloping or shoring the sides of excavations adjacent to a previously backfilled excavation or a fill, particularly when the separation is less than the depth of the excavation. Particular attention also shall be paid to joints and seams of material comprising a face and the slope of such seams and joints. (n) Except in hard rock, excavations below the level of the base of footing of any foundation or retaining wall shall not be permitted, unless the wall is underpinned and all other precautions taken to insure the stability of the adjacent walls for the protection of employees involved in excavation work or in the vicinity thereof. (0) If the stability of adjoining buildings or walls is endangered by excavations, shoring, bracing, or underpinning shall be provided as necessary to insure their safety. Such shoring, bracing, or underpinning shall be inspected daily or more often, as conditions warrant, by a competent person and the protection effectively maintained. (p) Diversion ditches, dikes, or other suitable means shall be used to prevent surface water from entering an excavation and to provide adequate drainage of the area adjacent to the excavation. Water shall not be allowed to accumulate in an excavation. (q) If it is necessary to place or operate power shovels, derricks, trucks, materials, or other heavy objects on a level above and near an excavation, the side of the excavation shall be sheet-piled, shored, and braced as necessary to resist the extra pressure due to such superimposed loads. (r) Blasting and the use of explosives shall be performed in accordance with Subpart U of this part. (s) When mobile equipment is utilized or allowed adjacent to excavations, substantial stop logs or barricades shall be installed. If possible, the grade should be away from the excavation. (t) Adequate barrier physical protection shall be provided at all remotely located excavations. All wells, pits, shafts, etc., shall be barricaded or covered. Upon completion of exploration and similar operations, temporary wells, pits, shafts, etc., shall be backfilled. (u) If possible, dust conditions shall be kept to a minimum by the use of water, salt, calcium chloride, oil, or other means. (v) In locations where oxygen deficiency or gaseous conditions are possible, air in the excavation shall be tested. Controls, as set forth in Subparts D and E of this part, shall be established to assure acceptable atmospheric conditions. When flammable gases are present, adequate ventilation shall be provided or sources of ignition shall be eliminated. Attended emergency rescue equipment, such as breathing apparatus, a safety harness and line, basket stretcher, etc., shall be readily available where adverse atmospheric conditions may exist or develop in an excavation. (w) Where employees or equipment are required or permitted to cross over excavations, walkways or bridges with standard guardrails shall be provided. (x) Where ramps are used for employees or equipment, they shall be designed and constructed by qualified persons in accordance with accepted engineering requirements. (y) All ladders used on excavation operations shall be in accordance with the requirements of Subpart L of this part. ground or cave-ins. Refer to Table P-1 as a guide in sloping of banks. Trenches less than 5 feet in depth shall also be effectively protected when examination of the ground indicates hazardous ground movement may be expected. (b) Sides of trenches in unstable or soft material, 5 feet or more in depth, shall be shored, sheeted, braced, sloped, or otherwise supported by means of sufficient strength to protect the employees working within them. See Tables P-1, P-2 (following paragraph (g) of this section). (c) Sides of trenches in hard or compact soil, including embankments, shall be shored or otherwise supported when the trench is more than 5 feet in depth and 8 feet or more in length. In lieu of shoring, the sides of the trench above the 5-foot level may be sloped to preclude collapse, but shall not be steeper than a 1-foot rise to each 1⁄2foot horizontal. When the outside diameter of a pipe is greater than 6 feet, a bench of 4-foot minimum shall be provided at the toe of the sloped portion. (d) Materials used for sheeting and sheet piling, bracing, shoring, and underpinning, shall be in good serviceable condition, and timbers used shall be sound and free from large or loose knots, and shall be designed and installed so as to be effective to the bottom of the excavation. (e) Additional precautions by way of shoring and bracing shall be taken to prevent slides or cave-ins when excavations or trenches are made in locations adjacent to backfilled excavations, or where excavations are subjected to vibrations from railroad or highway traffic, the operation of machinery, or any other source. (f) Employees entering bell-bottom pier holes shall be protected by the installation of a removable-type casing of sufficient strength to resist shifting of the surrounding earth. Such temporary protection shall be provided for the full depth of that part of each pier hole which is above the bell. A lifeline, suitable for instant rescue and securely fastened to a shoulder harness, shall be worn by each employee entering the shafts. This lifeline shall be individually manned and separate from any line used to remove materials excavated from the bell footing. (g)(1) Minimum requirements for trench timbering shall be in accordance with Table P-2. (2) Braces and diagonal shores in a wood shoring system shall not be subjected to compressive stress in excess of values given by the following formula: Where: S=1300-20L/D Maximum ratio L/D=50 L=Length, unsupported, in inches. |