Who Is a Competent Person for Excavations?
This explanation may help excavation contractors understand what is meant by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) concept of a “competent person.” Who can be a competent person? A competent person can be anyone at the job site. It can be the backhoe operator, the foreman or any other individual. Most contractors appoint their foreman, superintendent or lead individual as the competent person. OSHA does not require a competent person to be certified, only trained. As such, contractors should develop an initial and refresher training program for competent persons. What is a competent person? OSHA defines a competent person as: “… one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has the authority to take corrective measures to eliminate them.” Thus, a competent person must have the knowledge to identify hazards and the authority to take pre
