Indiana Trenching (Construction): What you need to know

Indiana has adopted the federal rules for trenching in construction by reference and has added a provision for private sector contracts for trench system projects that is stricter than federal requirements.

Indiana Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) administers the trenching requirements in private and public sector workplaces.

Any construction, improvement, or maintenance project that may require the creation of a trench of at least 5 feet deep must incorporate the IOSHA trench regulations into the contract for the project.

The contract must provide that the cost for trench safety systems will be paid for as a separate pay item or in the pay item of the principal work with which the safety systems are associated.