# Trench competent person

A term used when buying excavation.

The named individual with authority to stop the work, not just to spot the hazard.

The federal definition turns on authorization: this is somebody who can identify the hazard and take prompt corrective measures, which means stopping a crew that is already behind. A protective system is required for every employee in an excavation, except in stable rock or in a cut less than five feet deep where that person finds no indication of cave-in. Any trench four feet or deeper needs a ladder or ramp within twenty-five feet of lateral travel. A trench fatality is this trade's signature catastrophic event and it prices the [experience modifier](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/experience-modifier) that decides the insurance.

Part of: Buying an Excavation Business (https://searchspheresource.com/guides/buying-an-excavation-business)

Source: https://searchspheresource.com/guides/buying-an-excavation-business/terms/trench-competent-person
Not dated: The same editorial definitions as the glossary, inside a trade.

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt