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If you’ve gone through competent person training, you likely have heard about the different categories that OSHA has come up with to classify soil on the job site. The competent person is responsible for assessing the soil and determining which trench protective system to use and how to use it in order to make the excavation site safe.

OSHA categorizes soil into four different types:

• The first category is stable rock. OSHA defines stable rock as “natural solid mineral matter that can be excavated with vertical sides and remain intact while exposed.”
• Type A soils are “cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of 1.5 tons per square foot (tsf) (144 kPa) or greater” which include “clay, silty clay, sandy clay, clay loam and, in some cases, silty clay loam and sandy clay loam.”
• Type B soils are “cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength greater than 0.5 tsf (48 kPa) but less than 1.5 tsf (144 kPa)” and can include “angular gravel, silt, silt loam, previously disturbed soils unless otherwise classified as Type C, soils that meet the unconfined compressive strength or cementation requirements of Type A soils but are fissured or subject to vibration, dry unstable rock, and layered systems sloping into the trench at a slope less than 4H:1V (only if the material would be classified as a Type B soil).”
• The final classification is type C soils, which are defined by OSHA as “cohesive soils with an unconfined compressive strength of 0.5 tsf (48 kPa) or less” and include “granular soils such as gravel, sand and loamy sand, submerged soil, soil from which water is freely seeping, and submerged rock that is not stable. Also included in this classification is material in a sloped, layered system where the layers dip into the excavation or have a slope of four horizontal to one vertical (4H:1V) or greater.”

This blog just serves as a brief overview of the soil classifications as laid out by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. For a more extensive breakdown of the different soil classifications, you can visit the OSHA website or attend one of our Competent Person Training class, which is held every month at our headquarters.

Need help deciding which trench protection to choose for the work site conditions you may encounter? Luby Shoring Services can help. Just give us a call at 636-660-7467.

As a contractor, you are well aware of the fact that your workers have rights, and you do everything you can to make sure they are safe, content, and productive on the job. OSHA, the administration responsible for making sure working men and women have access to safe working conditions, has compiled a list of worker’s rights that are required for every job. You can find a list under the Know Your Rights column on the OSHA website.

In addition to being able to count on a workplace that’s free of any health and safety hazards, workers also have the right to question unsafe situations without fear of retribution. This means, they must be able to weigh in on potential issues without having to worry about disciplinary action or losing their job. In fact, workers are encouraged to file confidential complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who will determine if an off-site investigation or an on-site inspection needs to occur.

If an on-site inspection does take place, workers have the right to a private meeting with the OSHA inspector before and after the inspection. In fact, if there is no union in place, the inspector is required to have confidential meetings with a reasonable number of workers as part of the investigation.

The best way to avoid any of these issues is to do everything in your power to understand and prioritize your worker’s rights. Frequently review OSHA regulations that are pertinent to your workplace, and allow your workers to come to you with concerns (and ideally, solutions to problems they encounter).

We’re here to make sure you have the right equipment for every job, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. Monitoring the guidelines and taking the appropriate steps to ensuring your workers are safe, healthy, and happy on the job is one of the most important parts of your job as a boss.

Did you know National EMS Week is celebrated every year during the third week of May? Since that’s right around the corner, we wanted to take a moment on our blog and shine a spotlight on EMS practitioners and showcase why they are so crucial to the construction industry.

As you know from reading the news stories or following our blog and social media pages, there are many trench shoring incidents that happen all over the country on almost a weekly basis. Sadly, many of these collapses and other incidents could have been prevented with proper training and equipment. Nevertheless, when an accident occurs on the job site, the first people to the scene are the local EMS professionals.

This is such a prevalent part of their job that many cities conduct regular trench training exercises, like this one held in Adrian, Michigan a few weeks ago. According to Adrian Fire Capt. Nick Moorehead, the training is important because it “gives us the opportunity to learn every part of this type of rescue, so we can be better prepared.”

The brave men and women that choose to go into this often dangerous career truly deserve all the recognition we can give. They have a tough job which requires specific training in a multitude of areas. It is our job as contractors to ensure our crew makes safe decisions on the job site so we never have to ask EMS crews to risk their lives to save our own. By staying educated on relevant OSHA regulations, using proper equipment on every job, and making sure there’s a trained competent person on each job, we keep our local EMS professionals out of harm’s way.

If you’ve ever relied on your area EMS practitioners, this is the time to reach out and thank them again for their service. Let’s face it, not many of us could do the work they do every day, and they deserve our respect. Stay safe out there!

Everyone has heard the phases “shop small” and “shop local” and the concept behind this urging makes total sense. If you are able, isn’t it better to support people that actually live in your community versus a large corporation who might not be able to pinpoint your town on a map? Most people would agree that there’s value in it, but what can you gain from working with a local company like ours?

Whether we’ve worked together in the past, or you’ve been waiting to see if we’d be a good fit for an upcoming project, we want to share the three top benefits you receive when you partner with Luby Shoring Services:

1. Experience – Luby Shoring was established in 2015, but before that, Owner Steve Luby worked for his family’s business (Luby Equipment Services) which opened its doors in the mid-1990′s. Luby Shoring Services’ trench shields and shoring equipment is manufactured by Efficiency Production, a company that was founded in 1971. They were the first company to commercially manufacture a modular trench box. Today, Luby Shoring Services has 70 years’ worth of experience among our staff. The knowledge our experts bring to your project is priceless.
2. Locally-owned – Our headquarters are in Fenton, Missouri and we are committed to serving our local community. We believe in keeping the money in our local economy. When you work with us, you’re investing in a brighter future for the place you call home.
3. Safety Experts – Trench shoring is the only way to ensure your workers stay safe on the job site. We are on top of every OSHA regulation, and we offer training classes year-round to help educate contractors and their crews. We see the news stories every day of people losing their lives in trench accidents and we are obsessed with making sure everyone we work with is safe while they work.

Want to find out more about what we do? Give us a call at 636-660-7467 or contact us via our website. We look forward to working together!

Since we’re in the business of construction safety and support, we tend to get a little excited anytime we see new technology emerge that will help keep people safe while on the job. It seems like every day new technology emerges to help make all of our lives easier, and the construction industry isn’t immune to these advances. We’re going to outline a few of the new resources heading our way that will be sure to move the industry forward:

• Smart Helmets – It might look like an ordinary hard hat, but it’s so much more. These smart helmets (there are a few brands out there) can display a virtual version of the work site, which allows you to train easier, see the overall scope of the project quickly and easily, and display instructions to your crew. The helmets can also gather data which will make it easier to comply with safety regulations and maintain your records.
• Exoskeletons – According to OSHA, over 600,000 workplace injuries each year are attributed to back injuries. The construction industry can be rough on your body, especially your back. The new exoskeletons hitting the market can help ease the strain on your body when you’re lifting heavy materials.
• Drones – Yes, drones are everywhere. It’s likely your children even have had a chance to try flying one. However, they’re more than just a fun tech toy. They can also help you stay safe on the job by giving you the ability to examine parts of the job site that would be unsafe to enter. More than that, they can be used for planning and surveying projects, even before they begin.

When it comes to safety and efficiency in the construction industry, it’s apparent that the tech sector will be our greatest asset moving forward. It will be exciting to see the ever-changing tech landscape as it relates to our everyday work life.

You’ve been doing your job for a while, so it’s safe to say you know exactly what you’re doing and that you would never make a careless mistake on the job site, correct?

We hear this all the time, and we know it comes from a good place. After all, no one would ever knowingly put their life or the lives of their co-workers in danger. However, we work with contractors all the time who, for whatever reason, are running a job site with one or more red flags. The last thing you want is to have an emergency on your hands.

We know how hard it is to take time out to read up on the latest OSHA recommendations and the most up-to-date safety guidelines for trench safety. That’s why we offer a regular safety course that is convenient, quick, and offers same day certification. In just a few hours, you’ll learn:

• What a competent person is, why you need one, and what their duties are
• Different soil classifications and how to safely work with each condition
• Requirements for protective systems
• Site-specific engineering
• Aluminum hydraulic shoring
• Sloping and benching best practices
• And more!

We offer a session once every month at our headquarters in Fenton, MO. Call 636-660-7467 to register for one of the upcoming classes on May 19, June 16, or July 21. Classes start at 8 am and your registration fee includes light breakfast and lunch. Want more information? Email Steve Luby at sl***@*********ng.com