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Excavation enforcement for house foundations

Summary A senator asked OSHA to address builders’ concerns about applying excavation rules to house foundations. OSHA said it had developed a field memorandum to resolve the nationwide issue and sent it with the response. The memo is separately published by OSHA, and OSHA labels this transmittal letter an archive document.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1995-07-11-1
Date issued
July 11, 1995
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1926 Excavation Residential Construction
Source
View the official document

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OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

July 11, 1995

The Honorable John W. Warner
United States Senate
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Senator Warner:

This is in response to your recent letters on behalf of your constituents (list attached) who have expressed concern over the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations for excavation safety. I appreciate your patience and that of your constituents as we resolve their concerns.

As Mr. Roy Gurnham of my staff discussed with Ms. Crowder of your staff, the concerns raised by your constituents are national in nature and, as a result, the time required to evaluate the problem became considerable. However, I believe the attached memorandum to our field staff reflects this effort and appropriately resolves the issue.

If you or your constituents require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact either Mr. Roy Gurnham or Mr. Dale Cavanaugh of my staff in the Office of Construction and Maritime Compliance Assistance at (202) 219-8136.

Sincerely,
Joseph A. Dear
Assistant Secretary

Enclosures

[Constituent correspondence reproduced on OSHA page; omitted here. The referenced June 30, 1995 OSHA memorandum is published separately.]

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