The Trench Safety Stand Down was held across the nation by the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) the week of June 15-19. As part of the event, the association’s Middle Tennessee Chapter held its first Trench Safety Stand Down contest, which was meant to serve as motivation for local companies to participate in the educational opportunity about the importance of trench safety.

The winner of the contest was Civil Constructors LLC. The company’s special Toolbox Talk events were held across 27 job sites during June 15-19 with 237 employees attending. Civil Constructors LLC will be receiving lunch sponsored by Tennessee 811 and United Rentals Trench Safety.

Every June since 2016, NUCA has helped sponsor the Trench Safety Stand Down for the U.S. utility construction industry. The Middle Tennessee Chapter has participated since its founding in 2018. This year, more than 60 job sites in Middle Tennessee held special Toolbox Talks, reaching more than 450 local industry employees.

“Trench safety is the biggest threat we face as ditch diggers and excavators. Having an event like the Trench Safety Stand Down is incredibly important because it helps make everyone aware of simple steps that can prevent deadly accidents,” says Matt Mingus of Team Construction LLC and president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of NUCA. “It is wonderful to see so many participate in the Trench Safety Stand Down in an effort to keep themselves, co-workers, and the public safe. We’d like to thank U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn for her support of our effort to better our industry. Since 2018, NUCA of Middle Tennessee has participated in the Trench Safety Stand Down with the full support of the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Hundreds of Tennessee workers have been trained and made aware of the hazards of working in and around trenches. As we continue to grow this event we thank everyone who participated; there is safety in numbers. The more ditch diggers we can train and make aware of these precautions, the stronger our industry will grow.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Trench Safety Stand Down events this year took place virtually. In addition to events offered by local chapters and NUCA National, United Rentals organized an impressive slate of seven educational events that included motivational safety speakers, a panel discussion, and webinars on multiple topics related to trench safety. NUCA of Middle Tennessee also did a special episode of its weekly “We Dig Tennessee” podcast, which can be found online at nucamidtn.transistor.fm. 

“While the industry fatal accident rate has been more than halved since 2016, we feel strongly that there is more we all can do as an industry to prevent the needless loss of life. The mission to save lives and prevent accidents remains the vital reason why this annual stand down is so important,” says Doug Carlson, CEO of NUCA.