OSHA Rules About Walking or Driving Across Open Excavations

You can probably imagine the various types of accidents that could potentially occur if someone were
to cross over the top of an open trench while walking or operating equipment. The possibilities range
from stepping into the trench and injuring an ankle, knee, or leg, to being crushed by a piece of
equipment that tipped over or fell into the excavation. To minimize the occurrence of such
accidents, Federal OSHA addresses the hazard of crossing over excavations in their standards.