Rapid City hosts trench safety sessions looking to cut down on excavation accidents

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an average of 21 people die each year from trench cave-ins. To try to prevent this, the Rapid City Trenching Board and Public Works Department offered trench safety training sessions to help keep people safe.

The Rapid City Trenching Board in partnership with the Public Works Department held two trench safety training sessions Tuesday to help educate construction workers and contractors around the Black Hills. Among the topics discussed were potential hazards associated with trenching and excavation, soil classifications, and different industry practices all aimed at keeping workers safe. Safety trainer Kyle DeLucero said these sessions are important so people are aware that all trench deaths are preventable.

“So it’s a big focal point to get people educated on the subject. That with the hazards that are out there to our construction workers and it’s really important that we bring those numbers down. Trench deaths don’t need to happen. It’s 100% preventable,” DeLucero said.

DeLucero said workers often overlook trench safety because of pressures such as expenses and deadlines. He noted the most vulnerable cities are often in more rural parts of the country, South Dakota being one such state.

“The Northern Mountain region and the Northern Midwest kind of the lower population centers for sure have been under-served in this regard. So we need to take some precautions there,” DeLucero said.

2022 saw the highest number of trench-related deaths with 39 in that year alone and DeLucero is hoping training sessions like these will help lower that number. If you are interested in learning more or want to see a training session in person click here.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.