COMPLIANCE INFO_2024 FINAL SITE CHARACTERIZATION WORK PLAN

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Site Health and Safety Plan Page 14 • Nonessential personnel shall be kept out of the work area. 3.5.4 Excavation and Trenching A competent person, who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions that are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them, is responsible for and will be present during excavation activities. Workers will not enter unstable excavations or excavations greater than 5 feet in depth without appropriate shoring systems. If shoring or shielding systems are not used, side slopes shall not be steeper than 1½:1 without written confirmation from the competent person that slope is safe for the soil conditions. Excavations shall be constructed in accordance with the OSHA Excavation Safety Standard (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P). When a trench box is used a ladder shall provide ingress and egress. The SSHO hard designate shall inspect excavations and trench boxes daily. The competent person shall perform a visual test to evaluate the conditions around the site. In a visual test, the entire excavation site is observed, including the soil adjacent to the site and the soil being excavated. During the visual test, the competent person shall check for crack-line openings along the failure zone that would indicate tension cracks, look for existing utilities that indicate that the soil has been previously disturbed, and observe the open side of the excavation for indications of layered geologic structuring. This person must also look for signs of bulging, boiling, or sloughing, as well as for signs of surface water seeping from the sides of the excavation or from the water table. In addition, the area adjacent to the excavation shall be inspected for signs of foundations or other intrusions into the failure zone, and the inspector shall check for surcharging and the spoil distance from the edge of the excavation. If there is evidence that a cave-in or slide is possible, work shall cease until the necessary safeguards have been identified and implemented. Excavated material shall be placed far enough from the edge of the excavation (a minimum of 2 feet) so that it does not fall back into the opening or affect the integrity of the sidewall. Groundwater has the potential to undermine a trench. Dewatering of the excavation shall be conducted as necessary by site personnel. The Riverbank Fire Department shall be notified of trenching activities. If a cave in or slide occurs, site personnel shall activate the Emergency Response Plan, call 911 and follow the established incident reporting procedures. At the end of each day's activities, open excavations shall be clearly marked and secured to prevent nearby workers or unauthorized personnel from entering them. Trenching is a form of excavation made below the surface of the ground where its width is narrow in relation to its length. In general, the depth is greater than the width, but the width of a trench is not greater than 15 feet. If forms or other structures are installed or constructed in an excavation as to reduce the dimension measured from the forms or structure to the side of the excavation to 15 feet or less, the excavation is also considered to be a trench. If a trench is greater than 5 feet in depth, shoring and/or sloping shall be implemented to protect employees from cave-ins. Shoring is a structure such as a metal hydraulic, mechanical or timber shoring system that supports the sides of an excavation and which is designed to prevent cave-ins. Sloping is a method of protecting employees from