In brief
- A claim of experience cannot be checked, but a named person, a training record and a signed entry permit can.
- Competency gaps show up as missing paperwork, no edge protection and no gas or atmosphere check before entry.
- Close the gap by writing the evidence into the contract and checking the first excavation yourself.
Contents
No one should enter a trench in Borama until the client has seen a named competent person, a training record and a signed entry permit. A claim of experience is not evidence. Digging is the visible part, but trench access competency risks start when a contractor promises safe entry and produces nothing the client or supervisor can check against the ground in front of them.
What does a competent trench access claim actually look like?
It looks like a name, a training record and a permit, not a sentence in a bid. Anyone can write that they have dug many trenches. Ask instead for the person who will supervise entry, their training certificate or attendance record, and a written entry permit signed before each shift. Confirm against the project specification or the engineer what inspection and recording the temporary works require, and whether the specification sets the interval for inspecting the excavation. A buried service strike or a collapse can happen fast, so the permit should show the depth, the support or batter, the position of any ladder and the result of the atmosphere check. In Borama ask the contractor to show one recent set of these records from another job, with the client's name and date. If they cannot produce a single example, treat the claim as unverified and price the supervision yourself.
How do competency gaps turn into unsafe excavation entry?
The gap opens between what the bid says and what the crew does on the morning of the dig. A crew with no trained banksman, no gas meter and no ladder close to the face will still enter if the schedule is tight and no one stops them. The mechanism is simple: the person with the most authority on site is usually the one who wants the trench finished, so entry happens without a check. Look for the signs. Spoil piled at the edge, no hard barrier around the opening, no ladder within a few metres of the work face, and a supervisor who cannot describe what the soil looked like at the bottom. Ask the contractor to expose or test the soil before the crew goes in, and have a qualified engineer set the safe batter angle and any shoring for each excavation. Ask the local authority what ground records exist for the area.
How do you check the claim before work starts?
Check the claim in the same week you award the work, while the contractor still has time to fix it. Walk a recent excavation with the supervisor and ask to see the entry permit book, the training record and the gas meter. Ask who inspects the trench and what they do when the sides start to run. Put the requirement in the contract: a named competent person, a daily inspection record, edge protection, a ladder within reach and an atmosphere check before entry. Ask what the contract allows if the records are missing, and take advice before holding any payment. For deeper work, or where a service may cross the line, ask for a temporary works design from a qualified engineer and confirm it against the project specification. A trial pit dug nearby under supervision is a cheap way to see how the crew actually works before the main excavation starts.
What to do next
Before the first bucket goes in at Borama, ask the contractor for the entry permit book, the supervisor's training record and the last inspection sheet from another job. Walk the first excavation yourself and stop entry if the paperwork or the protection is missing. Then write the same three requirements into the contract, so the next trench is checked the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Can a client ask for a trench entry permit on a small Borama build?
Yes. The contract can require a signed permit before each entry, whatever the size of the job. If the contractor refuses, treat the safety claim as unverified and decide whether to carry the supervision yourself.
What is the single easiest check on a trench access claim?
Ask to see the last inspection sheet and entry permit from another job, with the client's name and date. A contractor who has run the system will have a book of them.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Borama and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.