An upcoming Webinar will focus on one of the most hazardous construction industry operations — excavation safety. Hosted by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the virtual classroom event will be held on Wednesday, March 5, 2008, at 11:00 AM – 12:30 AM CST.

Michael Hayslip, P.E., CSP, active ASSE member and instructor for the event, will discuss general excavation safety requirements and look at the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSE A10.12Safety Requirements for Excavation – American National Standard for Construction and Demolition Operationsas well as offer real-world scenarios on ways to avoid trenching and excavation hazards.

The Webinar will also cover soil field tests; warning signs of ground instability such as tension cracks; bulging or water accumulation; and a selection of protective systems such as benching, shoring and trench boxes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction and extraction worker fatalities rose 6 percent in 2006 from 1,184 fatalities in 2005 to 1,258 in 2006, ASSE reports. Together, two occupational groups, construction and extraction occupations and transportation and material moving occupations, accounted for nearly half of all fatal work injuries in 2006. Material moving workers include dredge, excavating and loading machine operators. Also, OSHA says that the fatality rate for excavation work is 112 percent higher than the rate for general construction.

Hayslip is president and CEO of NESTI, a construction training and litigation support firm in Dayton, Ohio. He also currently serves as a member of the ANSI/ASSE A10.12 subcommittee on safety requirements for excavation.

The key learning objectives of the Webinar include:

• understanding and being able to apply excavation best practices;
• recalling the key safety elements from ANSI/ASSE A10.12;
• recognizing the warning signs of ground instability;
• understanding how to protect yourself from hazards associated with water accumulation; and
• understanding how to select proper protective systems.

For more information about the Webinar contact Dan McNeill atdanmcneill@asse.orgor call (847) 768-3437. To register contact ASSE Customer Service at 847-699-2929 or e-mailcustomerservice@asse.org.