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Dive Brief:
- The National Association of Public Service Contractors has designated June as Trench Safety Month and will celebrate its anniversary Safety of trenches From June 15 to 19 in hundreds of workplaces across the country.
- The retreat, supported by OSHA and the Trench and Excavation Safety Task Force, will include safety training sessions, educational seminars, toolbox talks and live trench rescue demonstrations designed to reinforce safe excavation practices, according to a statement shared with Construction Dive.
- NUCA officials say trench incidents can be prevented through proper training, protective systems and adherence to excavation safety rules.
Diving knowledge:
Eighteen fatalities due to trench collapse took place in 2024, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In June 2025, OSHA said 11 trench-related deaths had occurred at that time until the present. These deaths were not limited to construction.
June’s safety campaign builds on a decade of trench safety walkouts organized by NUCA and its members to tackle one of construction’s most persistent hazards. More than 24,200 workers and first responders participated in the events at 461 workplaces in 2025, according to the NUCA statement.
“When NUCA started Trench Safety Month, it was seen as a great way to introduce Trench Safety Week to the entire underground excavation industry, and not just to NUCA members,” Skout Raney, Chair of the NUCA Safety Committee, told Construction Dive. “Dedicating an entire month to trench safety expands TSSD’s concepts and we hope it also extends the reach of our safety message to more people who need to hear it.”
Throughout June, NUCA plans to use social media, internal publications and industry media outreach to promote trench safety awareness. The association has also partnered with the Trench and Excavation Safety Working Group, a coalition of companies that came together to raise awareness about trench safety, to share information on training opportunities and best practices for excavation safety.
Raney, who is also director of health and safety for Florida wastewater and groundwater installation company AllClear Underground Solutions, noted that the interactive training has proven particularly effective.
“Scenario-based hazard recognition exercises are impactful because they present realistic situations such as unstable ground, inadequate shoring or nearby traffic and require workers to identify hazards and choose the correct protective measures,” he said.
Raney said the industry’s challenge is not a lack of knowledge but maintaining consistent execution of proven security practices.
“Too often, scheduled pressure, inadequate supervision or complacency cause crews to take dangerous shortcuts,” he said. “Contractors need to understand that awareness and training alone are not enough.”
The focus on excavation safety comes as a benefit contractors continue to work on the waterwastewater, broadband, electricity and transport projects funded through the Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act. These projects are expected to require thousands of new workers, many of whom will need excavation safety training before entering the field.
According to Raney, contractors should incorporate trench-specific safety instructions into onboarding programs, provide hands-on field training and empower competent people to stop work when conditions are unsafe.
“No job is so urgent that it can’t be done safely,” he said. “Each ditch must be properly protected, inspected and treated as a potentially life-threatening hazard.”
