Caught-in/between incidents are the fourth leading cause of construction fatalities, involving workers being squeezed, crushed, pinched, or compressed between objects such as heavy equipment, shifting materials, or collapsing trenches. These accidents often result in fatal or life-altering injuries, including amputations, bone fractures, internal organ damage, and spinal cord injuries. Safety and health programs must consider the many ways caught-in/between accidents can occur.
Heavy Equipment – If vehicle safety practices are not observed at your site, you risk being pinned between construction vehicles and walls or within the swing radius of equipment.
Machine Guarding – All moving parts, gears, and shafts must be properly guarded.
Trenches and Excavations – Failure to use protective systems such as shoring, shielding, or sloping for trenches 5 feet or deeper—or failures due to weather and changing jobsite conditions—creates significant hazards.
Issues: Caught-In/Between Hazards
Key Hazards
A caught-in or caught-between accident occurs when a person, or part of their body, is caught, squeezed, crushed, or otherwise compressed between two or more objects.
- Being pinned or crushed by heavy equipment that tips over.
- Lack of seat belt use.
- A crane boom, scaffold, trench plates, or a wall collapsing due to inadequate or changing support conditions.
- During demolition or deep excavation next to walls, stand-alone walls more than one story tall collapsing.
- A trench or excavation collapsing due to lack of inspection or heavy equipment operating in close proximity.
- Moving machine parts dragging a person into equipment or causing severe injuries such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness.
Summary
The best approach to mitigate these hazards is a combination of proper training, use of safety equipment, and adherence to safety protocols. Workers must be trained and understand the correct use of equipment and the importance of situational awareness (personal positioning outside hazard zones), proper use of tools, means of egress, housekeeping, emergency planning, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hard hats, protective clothing, gloves, boots, and face protection.
Control Measures
- Use protective systems such as shoring, sloping, or trench boxes for any excavation deeper than 5 feet.
- Ensure all power tools and machinery have functional guards.
- Apply Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures before maintenance.
- Maintain safe distances from heavy equipment swing radii and blind spots.
- Avoid loose clothing or jewelry that could get caught in machinery.
- Utilize guards on all equipment with moving parts.
- Support, secure, or otherwise make safe equipment with potential caught-between hazards.
- Take measures to prevent being crushed by heavy equipment that tips over.
- Take measures to prevent being pinned between equipment and solid objects.
- Protect yourself during trenching and excavation work.
- Be aware of structure collapse risks and avoid exposure.
- Utilize methods to avoid being crushed by collapsing walls during demolition.
- Know who the competent person is for the task.
- Ensure all personnel are properly trained.
Regulations
1926 Subpart O – Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment
• 1926.601(b)(3) – Audible warning device at the operator’s station.
• 1926.601(b)(4) – Do not operate any motor vehicle equipment having an obstructed view to the rear unless:
• 1926.601(b)(4)(i) – A reverse signal alarm is audible above the surrounding noise level.
• 1926.601(b)(4)(ii) – An observer signals that it is safe to proceed in reverse.
• 1926.601(b)(9) – Seat belts.
• 1926.601(b)(14) – Inspected at the beginning of each shift.
1926 Subpart P – Excavation and Trenching
• 1926.650 – Scope, application, and definitions applicable to this subpart.
• 1926.651 – Specific excavation requirements.
• 1926.652 – Requirements for protective systems.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix A – Soil Classification.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix B – Sloping and Benching.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix C – Timber Shoring for Trenches.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix D – Aluminum Hydraulic Shoring for Trenches.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix E – Alternatives to Timber Shoring.
• 1926 Subpart P Appendix F – Selection of Protective Systems.
Additional Regulations
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart E – Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment. OSHA Standard.
• 1926.100 – Head Protection.
• 1926.1402 – Ground Conditions.
• 1926.1420 – Signals.
• 1926.1425 – Staying Clear of the Load.
• 1926.1418 – Stop Work Authority.
• 1926.1427 – Operator Training.
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC – Cranes and Derricks in Construction. OSHA Standard.
• 1926.1431(e)(10) – Hoisting Personnel.
What You Need to Know
- Inspect All Equipment: Before starting any work activity, inspect all equipment for damage, leaks, malfunctions, or missing guarding. Report any issues to the appropriate personnel and do not use defective equipment.
- Monitor the Work Area: Trenches and excavations are often in a continuous state of change. Daily and periodic inspections are required, along with a competent person monitoring conditions at all times.
- Suspended Loads: Never work in a restricted work area unless specifically trained to be there. Never work within the failure zone of a suspended load.
- Wear Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Always wear the required PPE, including safety glasses, protective clothing, gloves, hard hats, and steel-toed boots. Ensure that PPE is in good condition and fits properly.
- Follow Safe Work Practices: Adhere to established safe work practices and standard operating procedures. This includes proper equipment inspections, site preparation, and materials handling.
Do’s to Keep in Mind About Caught-In/Between Hazards
- Do inspect vehicles before each shift to ensure that all parts and accessories are in safe operating condition.
- Do follow all load capacities for equipment and cranes.
- Do check all ground conditions before moving equipment or operating machinery.
- Do place outriggers and jacks on a firm foundation; if necessary, the base must be blocked or cribbed.
- Do make sure that proper bracing is used between heavy plates used as shoring in a trench.
- Do ensure that the path of travel is carefully arranged when loading, unloading, stacking, and storing materials so that no workers are caught between materials and moving equipment or between materials.
- Do wear seat belts that meet OSHA standards, except on equipment designed only for stand-up operation or equipment that has no rollover protective structure.
- Do, during demolition or deep excavation next to walls, ensure that stand-alone walls more than one story high are laterally braced or confirmed to be safely self-supporting.
- Do prevent spoils from falling into the trench or excavation—keep them a minimum of 2 feet away from the edge.
- Do inspect all slings, lifting hooks, chains, and related rigging equipment.
- Do allow only those who are essential to and actively engaged in construction or lifting operations to enter the work area.
- Do use a warning system (such as barricades, hand signals, mechanical signals, or stop logs) if the operator does not have a clear and direct view of the edge.
- Do ensure excavation hazards are eliminated; OSHA standards require that a competent person inspect the trench before worker entry and as conditions change.
- Do enter or exit a trench or excavation using a ladder, stairway, or properly designed ramp placed within the protected area. Ensure means of egress every 20 feet when the trench or excavation is 5 feet deep or greater.
- Do lock out the power source to equipment. Power sources may include electric, pneumatic, liquid fuel, hydraulic, or powder-actuated systems.
- Do turn off vehicles before performing maintenance or repair work.
Don’ts to Keep in Mind About Caught-In/Between Hazards
- Don’t exceed a vehicle’s or equipment’s rated load or lift capacity.
- Don’t operate any machine with missing guards that expose you to moving parts such as belts, gears, shafts, pulleys, etc. All moving parts must be properly guarded.
- Don’t drive a vehicle in reverse with an obstructed rear view unless it has an audible reverse alarm and/or another worker is signaling that it is safe.
- Don’t load scaffolding above toe boards or material restraint systems.
- Don’t neglect to inspect trenches following a rainstorm or other water intrusion.
- Don’t forget to test for atmospheric hazards such as low oxygen, hazardous fumes, and toxic gases when a trench or excavation is greater than 4 feet deep.
- Don’t ignore hydraulic or pneumatic shoring requirements or shielding requirements.
- Don’t wear loose clothing or jewelry, including PPE items, that can become caught in moving parts. Cover loose hair that could become entangled in machinery and create a hazard.
- Don’t operate equipment equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS) without using them properly.
- Don’t work in a trench if a crane or earthmoving equipment is operating directly over the trench.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Construction Industry Standards: Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations (29 CFR 1926 Subpart O). United States Department of Labor, https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926SubpartO. Accessed 11 June 2026.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Construction Industry Standards: Excavations (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P). United States Department of Labor, https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/subpartP. Accessed 11 June 2026.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Construction Industry Standards: Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment (29 CFR 1926 Subpart E). United States Department of Labor, https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/subpartE. Accessed 11 June 2026.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Construction Industry Standards: Cranes and Derricks in Construction (29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC). United States Department of Labor, https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/subpartCC. Accessed 11 June 2026.
