Free toolbox talk · Excavations

Excavations toolbox talk

A toolbox talk on trench and excavation safety, written to be read aloud in about six minutes: why sides collapse, support and battering, spoil and plant at the edge, barriers, getting in and out, fumes, buried services and the inspection at the start of every shift. The last page is the attendance record.

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Attendance record page of the free excavations toolbox talk from Unibuild, where each person signs to say they were given the talk and understood it

Front page of the free excavations toolbox talk from Unibuild

Law: CDM 2015, regulations 22 and 24
Time to deliver: About six minutes
Format: PDF and Word, with a sign-off sheet
Cost: Free, always

What this toolbox talk covers

This talk is for anyone who digs, works in or works beside an excavation: drainage runs, service trenches, foundations, pits and manholes. It takes about six minutes to give and covers why the sides of an excavation collapse without warning, how support and battering stop it, keeping spoil and plant back from the edge, stopping people falling in, safe access, fumes, buried services and the inspection before work starts each shift.

It is written to be read aloud, with the points in the order a supervisor makes them, short lists of do and do not, and questions about the excavations on this job. The last page is the record: who gave it, who heard it and what was raised.

Buried cables and pipes have a talk of their own, the underground services toolbox talk. The groundworks risk assessment holds the full hazards and controls.

Checked against HSE guidance and legislation.gov.uk on 28 October 2026.

Toolbox talk · About six minutes

Excavations: the talk

Read it as written or in your own words. Tick each point as you make it. Stop for the questions.

Why it matters

Being trapped by something collapsing or overturning killed 18 workers in Great Britain in 2025/26, on HSE’s provisional figures. A trench collapse is one of the ways that happens, and HSE says people are killed or seriously injured in excavations every year.

The ground gives no warning. A trench that has stood all morning can slip in the afternoon after rain, a lorry going past or one more bucket of spoil on the edge. A cubic metre of soil can weigh more than 1.5 tonnes. Even a partial collapse can pin someone so they cannot breathe. This talk is about never being in a trench that is not supported or inspected.

The points to make

Any ground can collapse

Clay that looks solid dries and cracks. Sand runs. Wet ground slumps. Old backfill around existing services falls away. HSE’s rule is that no ground can be relied on to stand unsupported in all circumstances. Depth alone does not make a trench safe or unsafe. A shallow trench can still bury someone who is kneeling or bent over in it.

Support or batter, planned first

Before the first bucket goes in, the plan says how the sides will be held: trench boxes, sheets and props, or battering the sides back to a safe slope. The kit is on site before digging starts. If the support is not there, nobody goes in. Never get into a trench to fit the support. It goes in from outside or with the box.

Keep the edge clear

Spoil, blocks, pipes and plant all add weight at the edge, and that weight pushes the sides in. Keep spoil heaps and materials set back, and keep excavators, dumpers and lorries away from the sides unless the support has been designed for them. Toe boards or support that stands above ground level stop loose material rolling in. Hard hats are worn in the trench.

Stop people falling in

An open excavation is a fall for anyone walking past, including the public and other trades. Put substantial barriers around the edge where people could fall in, cover or fence small holes, and light them at night. Mark and protect the edge where vehicles work, with stop blocks where a dumper tips into it.

Safe way in and out

Use a proper way in and out every time, never climbing the supports or jumping down. A ladder stands on a firm base, is secured, and goes at least a metre above the top. Keep it close to where people are working so they can get out fast. Never site a generator, pump or compressor in the trench or at the edge, because the fumes collect at the bottom.

Inspected every shift

A competent person inspects the excavation, its supports and the plant and materials near it at the start of every shift, after anything that could weaken it, such as heavy rain or a vehicle too close, and after any fall of material. Work does not start until they are satisfied. If they find a problem, nobody goes in until it is put right.

Watch what you dig near

Before digging, check the plans and scan for cables and pipes. Dig carefully by hand near anything marked. Check the trench will not undermine scaffold footings, a garden wall or the foundations of a building next to it. Many boundary walls have very shallow foundations. If water is coming in, or the sides are cracking, get out and tell the supervisor.

Do

Check the support is in place and the excavation has been inspected before going in.
Keep spoil, materials and plant set back from the edge.
Use the ladder or steps provided, and keep them close to where you are working.
Put barriers around open excavations and light them at night.
Get out straight away if the sides crack, bulge, move or let water in.
Scan for services and dig by hand near anything marked.

Do not

Do not go into an unsupported trench that could collapse, even for a minute.
Do not climb the supports or jump in and out.
Do not park plant or vehicles near the edge unless the support is designed for it.
Do not run engines in or beside an excavation where fumes can collect.
Do not dig under walls, footings or slabs without checking first.

Ask the team

What is holding the sides of each excavation on this job, and who decided?
Who inspects the excavations at the start of the shift, and where is the record?
Where does the spoil go, and how far is it from the edge?
How do we get out of this trench fast if the side starts to go?
What services are in the ground here, and how do we know?

To close

Most people who die in trench collapses had been in that trench before and it had been fine. The ground does not warn you. So the rules are simple: no support, nobody in. Keep the edge clear, use the ladder, keep the engines away, and do not start until it has been inspected this shift. If the ground starts to move, or water starts to come in, get out first and tell us after. We will make it safe before anyone goes back down.

Record it. Who gave the talk, where, when, who was there and what was raised. The last page of the sheet is the record.

In Unibuild a talk is read in each operative’s own language and signed on the phone. How toolbox talks work

The law behind this talk

Checked against the source

Prevent collapse, falls and overloading

All practicable steps are taken, including supports or battering where necessary, so that no excavation collapses, no material from the walls or next to the excavation is dislodged or falls, and nobody is buried or trapped. Suitable and sufficient steps prevent people, work equipment or material falling in, and prevent the excavation or the ground next to it being overloaded by equipment or material.

CDM 2015, regulation 22(1) to (3)

Inspection before work

Construction work is not carried out in an excavation where supports or battering have been provided unless the excavation, and any equipment and materials that may affect its safety, have been inspected by a competent person at the start of the shift, after any event likely to have affected its strength or stability, and after any material unintentionally falls or is dislodged, and that person is satisfied work can be done safely.

CDM 2015, regulation 22(4) and (5)

Reports of inspections

Where the inspector is not satisfied that work can be done safely, they tell the person the inspection was for before the end of the shift and provide a written report within 24 hours. The report is kept on site until the work is finished and then for 3 months. Only one report is needed for start-of-shift inspections within a 7 day period.

CDM 2015, regulation 24

Underground services

Construction work that is liable to create a risk to health or safety from an underground service, or from damage to or disturbance of it, is not carried out unless suitable and sufficient steps have been taken to prevent the risk, so far as is reasonably practicable.

CDM 2015, regulation 25(4)

Risk assessmentGroundworks RAMSThe full hazards, controls and sequence of work this talk briefs, with a pre-filled template.

What is on the sheet

3 pages, the talk and the record

The talk, over two pages

Why it matters, the points to make, do and do not, and the questions to ask, laid out to read from in the cabin or at the workface. Space at the top for the site, the date and who is giving it.

The last page, the record

The attendance record: each person's name, company and signature, the questions raised and any actions, signed off by the person who gave the talk. Type into it or print it and pass it round.

The Word version

The same talk as a Word document, so you can put your own letterhead on it, add a site photograph or change a point to match how your job is set up.

Download the talk as PDF Word versionPDF · 3 pages · 208 KB

After it is given

Delivered on the phone, signed in the room

On Unibuild a toolbox talk is picked from the library, read by each operative on their own phone in their own language and signed there and then. The record is filed against the operative, the site and the date.

A site manager sees who has had which talk, and who has not, without a sheet going round on Thursday.

How toolbox talks work on Unibuild

Asked most often

Excavation toolbox talk questions

How long should an excavation toolbox talk be?

About five to ten minutes. This one reads in about six if you make every point and stop for the questions. A toolbox talk is a short briefing before the work, not the training a competent excavation inspector or plant operator needs, which is recorded in the training matrix.

At what depth does a trench need support?

The law does not set a depth. HSE says no ground can be relied on to stand unsupported in all circumstances, so the need for support depends on the ground, the water, the loads nearby and the work, and is decided before digging starts. A shallow trench can still bury someone kneeling in it.

How often must an excavation be inspected?

Where supports or battering are provided, a competent person inspects it at the start of every shift in which work is done, after any event likely to affect its strength or stability, and after any accidental fall of material. Work does not start until they are satisfied it is safe.

Do excavation inspections have to be written down?

A written report is required when the inspector is not satisfied that work can be done safely, given within 24 hours and kept on site and then for 3 months. HSE says a record of inspections will be required, and most sites keep a daily inspection register for every excavation.

How far back should spoil be kept from a trench?

The law says the edge must not be overloaded rather than giving a distance. Keep spoil heaps and materials set back far enough that they do not add load to the sides or roll in, as the risk assessment and support design set out, with toe boards or support standing above ground level to stop loose material falling.

Can you run a generator in an excavation?

HSE says not to use petrol or diesel engines in excavations unless the fumes are ducted safely away or forced ventilation is provided, and not to place generators or compressors in or near the edge, because exhaust gases collect at the bottom.

Who can inspect an excavation?

A competent person who fully understands the dangers and the precautions needed, usually an experienced supervisor or ganger trained in excavation inspection. They need to know the ground, the support system and what to look for after rain or a fall of material.

Do we have to keep a record of the talk?

There is no regulation that names toolbox talk records, but employers must give information, instruction and training, and most principal contractors and auditors ask for the evidence. A signed attendance record with the date and the topic is that evidence. The last page of the sheet is the record.

Is this excavation toolbox talk free?

Yes. Download it, print it, give it, edit it and put your own name on it, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.

More free toolbox talks

Each with a PDF and Word sheet and an attendance record

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Plant, tools and electricity

People and wellbeing

The blank toolbox talk template, the toolbox talk register, every talk by topic and every other free form are on Free downloads.

Next step

The talk given, understood
and on record.

Unibuild keeps every toolbox talk against the operative who signed it, the site and the date, for seven years, ready for the principal contractor or an auditor.

Book a demo → See toolbox talks on Unibuild