Currently, there are 22 U.S. states and territories including California that choose to administer their own worker safety and health plans. These programs must be approved by OSHA and meet or exceed the agency’s standards. After approval, OSHA also continues to monitor these plans to ensure compliance.
Both federal and state safety officials, however, have made excavation and trench safety a priority. To streamline the rulemaking process, some states, like South Carolina and Oregon, adopt many of OSHA’s standards, including those for excavation and trenching.