HOW DO YOU REPORT AN UNSAFE EXCAVATION TO THE MANAGEMENT OR TO THE SUPERVISING TEAM

A SAMPLE LETTER FOR AN UNSAFE EXCAVATION/TRENCH REPORTING TO THE MANAGEMENT OR TEAM FOR ACTION BY THE HSE/SAFETY DEPARTMENT. 

This report will give you a basic idea for further modification and help the safety officer lone handling a site and struggling to draft a detailed letter to the contractor, subcontractor, department, manager or work in charge. The location, the mode of operation and the environment may vary as per the scope of work and the geography of the workplace. This is a sample letter drafted without a salutation and complimentary close. The draft consists only the main content or the massage to be pass on.

Detailed draft including references for non-compliances of an unsafe excavation

(Manager, engineer or supervisor name here if mandatory) observed placing their workers and equipment under the risk of fall hazards into the unguarded deep excavation/trenches at numerous location of (project name). Mainly the excavations/trenches at (or specify the locations here) and utility excavations (or specify the purpose excavation) are left exposed to a high potential of fall of men and machine as most of the excavations are more than the depth of xx meters. 

(your or department name here) have raised a number of non-conformance of excavation/trenches on several occasions to mitigating the risk with adequate guarding, sloping or (suitable for soil type), access, illuminations, warning signage etc. (Supervisor or department name) yet to take substantial action of regular inspection of trenches/excavation as per their HSE system documentation Section: (references here) Excavation and Trenching arraignments and Section: (references here) Safety Signage ensuring a safe workplace. Though, the (your or department name here) fails to provide adequate edge protection (concrete barriers) considering the depth of excavation/trench where the constant contiguous movement of construction equipment, vehicle and workers. 

Since then, the (Supervisor or department name) workers and equipment are moving close to the unguarded deep excavation/trenches placing them on the high risk of fall into the excavation and the same shall upsurge during the night which is liable to cause a severe injury and property damage incident. 

(Supervisor or department name) shall ensure swift response on safeguarding the excavations/trenches and regular inspections and compliances at the locations as per (contractual, HSE documentation and local legislations for HSE and construction references shall be mentioned here) for example; QCS 2014 section 11/Health and Safety Part:1.05, subsection: 1.5.4 Working in and Around Excavations and against to the photos attached.