Stop Preventable Deaths and Focus on Safe Digging During the Trench Safety Stand Down
Today marks the start of the week-long 2020 Trench Safety Stand Down, organized by the National Utility Contractors Association and supported by OSHA. The stand down gives employers, supervisors and foremen the opportunity to speak directly to workers about trench and excavation hazards.
Since 2011, nearly 40% of all trenching fatalities have occurred at residential construction sites. With proper preparation and adherence to safety protocols, the number of trenching accidents and fatalities could — and should — drop to zero.
OSHA has made trench safety improvements an accountable goal for the agency. NAHB has also created a Trenching and Excavation Toolkit to provide home builders with resources and ideas to support these very important conversations.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, all home builders should practice distancing and implement other safe practices during their stand downs. For more information on holding a COVID-safety stand down, see the materials NAHB produced for the COVID-19 Job Site Safety Stand Down conducted in April.
Those who participate in this week’s stand down are encouraged to take pictures of their sessions and post them to social media using the tag #TSSD20. If you have not yet made plans to discuss trench safety this week, please consider using some of the resources below:
For questions about safety programs, visit nahb.org.
Latest from NAHBNow
Sponsored Content
Jan 30, 2026
What 700+ Real Estate Pros Say About Marketing in 2026 and Where Builders Are Losing GroundHeading into 2026, businesses across real estate are planning for growth — but with caution. Results from a recent survey point to a clear shift: while marketing investment is holding strong, the biggest opportunity – and risk – now sits in responsiveness and follow-up.
Land Development
Jan 30, 2026
How Can Density and Varying Housing Types Influence Local Tax Bases?Developed in partnership with Urban3, NAHB’s new Value of Land Use Efficiency video and infographic resource takes a data-driven look at how a wide range of residential development types contribute to local tax bases relative to the public services they require.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Jan 30, 2026
Bathroom Remodeling Is Most Common Project in 2025Every quarter, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conducts a survey of professional remodelers. The first part of the survey collects the information required to produce the NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI).
Economics
Jan 29, 2026
Saving Rate Falls to 3.5% in NovemberPersonal income rose 0.3% in November 2025, following a 0.1% increase in October, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gains were largely driven by higher wages and dividend income. However, income growth has cooled noticeably from peaking at a monthly increase of 1.1% in July 2022 to 0.3% now.
Economics
Jan 28, 2026
Holding Pattern for the FedThe Fed paused its easing cycle at the conclusion of the January meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank’s monetary policy body. The Fed held the short-term federal funds rate at a top rate of 3.75%, the level set in December. This marked the first policy pause since the Fed resumed easing in September of last year.