Appendix B and subpart P primarily consists of information regarding sloping and benching during the process of excavation and other aspects of construction. Sloping in construction is the incline of the surface of a soil area. Benching is when concrete is placed in a horizontal position at a slope fill to prevent sliding. The sloping and benching has to satisfy the OSHA requirements and regulations in order for the workers not to get injured or damage equipment. Another important aspect of construction involving sloping and benching is distress. Distress is when the soil is at a condition where cave-ins and collapses are highly likely to occur. Depending on the type of soil there are specific requirements that must be met in order for the …show more content…
The slope also has to do with protecting the workers and other personnel against cave-ins. This information is expressed in a ratio of horizontal distance over vertical distance. When excavating in a construction site the crew should keep an eye on the short-term exposure, which is the time the excavation, starts up to 24 hours after. The requirements for sloping and benching are soil classification, Maximum allowable slope and actual slope. Soils have to be classified by the rules and regulations of appendix A and subpart P of the OSHA regulations book. The maximum allowable slope has to be found by using the table B-1 of appendix A that is also in the same OSHA book. OSHA indicates that the allowable slope must steeper than the actual slope. When there are signs of distress the slope has to be less than the actual slope that is at least half of the horizontal to one of the vertical and less than the maximum allowable slope. When dealing with stored materials or equipment, operating equipment, or traffic a competent and experienced person has to decide that slope to use according to the OSHA regulations. For example the actual slope must be less than the maximum allowable slope. Sloping and benching must follow the figure in the PowerPoint presentation, which is Table B-1 (Maximum Allowable