Mike Rowe, the “Dirty Jobs” guy, caught a bunch of flak for saying, “safety third.” Seems folks took that to mean Rowe did not consider jobsite safety a priority when, in fact, he was attempting to point out the absurd notion that posted “safety first” signage was a farce. No one is really going to be constantly looking out for an individual’s safety and Rowe was simply trying to convey the message that everyone has to be responsible for their own safety on jobsites.
Pretty much everyone knows shoring or some safety method needs to be deployed for personal safety when working in a trench. OSHA has guidelines for employers and employees to follow that provide minimum standards to provide protection from sudden cave-ins. I can tell you from personal experience that no one can jump out of harm’s way when trench walls collapse suddenly. We all want to go home at the end of the workday to be with our loved ones, and there really is no excuse for cutting corners where trench/ditch safety is concerned. Yet, as 2022 wraps up, this was a deadly year for unnecessary trench collapse deaths with at least 26 fatalities. Two separate deaths in the final weeks just before Christmas.