Site Safety Weekly — Issue #1
1. Field note: why we're here
I’m Shaun Raunig, a CUSP-certified (T&D) safety professional based in Kalispell, Montana. I’ve spent more than 25 years around high-voltage transmission and substation construction, heavy equipment, and military aviation. I came up as an F-16 crew chief in the Air Force, a C-130 loadmaster with the Montana Air National Guard, and an IBEW Local 70 equipment operator. That’s where I learned that a small mistake can cost a life.
On a T&D job, what worries me most is the work that leaves no room for error: holding minimum approach distance to energized lines and equipment, making sure the person doing the work really is a Qualified Electrical Worker, clearances that every person on the crew actually understands, and picks where the crane, the rigging, and the lines are all close together.
Site Safety Weekly is for the people who turn the rules into what a crew does at 6:30 in the morning: safety pros, coordinators, and foremen. Every Monday you’ll get:
Regulatory Radar. What changed or got enforced at OSHA and Cal/OSHA, with the source.
Toolbox Talk of the Week. Ready to read out loud as is.
Field Tip. One practical thing to check this week.
My rules: no made-up numbers or stories, a source for every regulation, and nothing about any employer, client, or project. If I get something wrong, reply and I'll fix it in the next issue.
Hit reply and tell me your role and what you want covered. I read everything.
— Shaun
2. Regulatory Radar
OSHA cites six NY/NJ construction employers over an excavation nearly 75 feet deep: $648,094 in proposed penalties U.S. Department of Labor news release, October 13, 2026
According to OSHA, a general contractor and five subcontractors at a planned mixed-use commercial project in Monroe, N.Y., exposed workers to cave-in and struck-by hazards. The cause was an excavation wall nearly 75 feet high that was not adequately sloped or shored. OSHA issued 5 willful and 23 serious citations, alleging the employers failed to:
Protect workers from cave-ins and struck-by hazards
Protect workers from rock and soil falling or rolling off the excavation face
Have a competent person inspect the excavation each day
Have the excavation, between 21 and 75 feet deep, designed by a registered professional engineer (cited as willful against two of the employers)
The employers have 15 business days to request an informal conference or to contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Why it matters to you: These are basics we all know: protective systems, daily inspections by a competent person, and engineered design for deep excavations (29 CFR 1926.651(k), 1926.652(a)–(c)). The citation list shows what happens when one company assumes another is handling them. If you have subs in an excavation, confirm yourself who the competent person is, and when they last inspected it.
Sources:
U.S. DOL OSHA news releases, Oct 13, 2026: OSHA news releases
Occupational Health & Safety, Oct 14, 2026: https://ohsonline.com/articles/2026/10/14/osha-cites-six-contractors-over-cave-in-hazards-at-unprotected-75-foot-excavation.aspx
3. Toolbox Talk of the Week: Slips, Trips, and Wet-Season Walkways
About 5 minutes. Read it out loud as is, or adapt it to your site.
Why we're talking about this As the weather turns, we get wet mornings, mud, shorter days, and more cords and hoses running across walkways. None of that is new. But slips and trips on the same level are the easy ones to stop paying attention to, because they don't feel like "real" hazards. Today we're going to look at them on purpose.
What the rules say (plain English)
Keep work areas, passageways, and stairs clear of scrap and debris as the work goes (29 CFR 1926.25(a); in California, Title 8 §1513(a) Housekeeping).
Good practice: walkways and access routes have to stay usable. If a route is blocked or unsafe, fix it or mark and reroute it. Don't just step around it.
Hazards to look for today
Mud, standing water, or slick surfaces at entry points, ramps, and trailer steps
Cords, hoses, and welding leads crossing walkways
Scrap, banding, and offcuts left where people walk
Poor lighting early and late in the day
Carrying loads that block your view of where you're stepping
Controls
Route cords and hoses overhead or along the edges. Cover or mark them where they have to cross a walkway.
Clean as you go. Every crew leaves its area clear at breaks and at the end of the shift.
Put down gravel, mats, or boards at muddy entry points, and report standing water.
Add temporary lighting where natural light is gone at start or end of shift.
Keep three points of contact on ladders, steps, and equipment. Don't jump down.
Wear footwear with tread that suits the conditions, and keep it clean of mud.
Carry loads you can see over, or get help.
Discussion questions (ask the crew)
Where on this site did you almost slip or trip this week?
What's crossing a walkway right now that shouldn't be?
Which area gets dark first, and do we have lighting for it?
Who's responsible for cleanup in your area at end of shift?
Key takeaway: If you see it, fix it or flag it. A walkway problem doesn't belong to "someone else."
Sign-in
Date | Site/Area | Talk given by |
|---|---|---|
Name (print) | Signature | Company |
|---|---|---|
4. Field Tip: The 60-second trench check before anyone goes in
Before anyone steps into a trench, walk the edge and ask:
Is it 5 feet or deeper? Then it needs a protective system (sloping, benching, shoring, or a shield), unless it's entirely in stable rock (29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1)). Under 5 feet, you can skip it only if a competent person has checked the ground and sees no sign of a possible cave-in.
Has a competent person inspected it today, before work and after rain or anything else that could change conditions (1926.651(k)(1))?
Is the spoil pile and equipment at least 2 feet back from the edge (1926.651(j)(2))?
Is it 4 feet or deeper? Then there has to be a way out (ladder, stairway, or ramp) within 25 feet of lateral travel for every worker (1926.651(c)(2)).
Sources: 29 CFR 1926.651 (https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.651) and 1926.652 (https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.652).
If any answer is "no" or "not sure," nobody goes in until it's fixed.
5. Coming soon: help with the paperwork
If you work for a small contractor, you know the paperwork can take as much time as the field work: JHAs, site-specific safety plans, toolbox talks, and the safety section of a bid package. I'm putting together a done-for-you safety paperwork service for small contractors. It will draft documents fast from a short intake form, and I'll review every one personally before you get it. If that sounds useful, reply with "PAPERWORK" and I'll send details when it opens. No obligation.
Site Safety Weekly is general safety information, not legal advice. It does not replace your company's safety program, a site-specific hazard assessment, or the judgment of your competent and qualified persons. Always check the current regulation text at osha.gov or dir.ca.gov.
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