Excavation contractors education and training is available in several different forms. Contractors learn about excavation techniques and safety precautions from videos, articles, seminars, and formal education courses. Many activists urge excavation contractors to learn environmentally friendly means of clearing land by leaving some trees and taking measures to prevent erosion. Excavation contractors learn these techniques through articles and other environmentally friendly resources.

As well as learning about techniques, excavation contractors must be educated on types of equipment and excavator parts. Contractors want equipment that does the best job and completes the job the fastest. They must also ensure that all employees are aware of safety precautions and the operation of the excavator bucket. Therefore, some management training is also valuable. When looking at the options for excavation contractors education and training, consider the following:

1. Technical schools and educational institutes offer courses for an excavation business.

2. Seminars offer excavation contractors an opportunity to enhance the education of employees.

3. Professional excavation business magazines allow excavation contractors to keep abreast of upcoming products as well as tips and techniques.

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Consider an educational course for learning information for excavating contractors

Formal education courses offer detailed information on a variety of topics important to the education of excavation contractors. Many course programs end with students earning a certificate in excavation operations. Experienced excavation contractors typically teach the courses and allow hands-on supervised learning with an excavator and mini excavator.

I recommend: Build Safe offers a training course program for using excavators in the excavation business. While the course is beneficial for the industry, it does not earn college credit hours for students. Excavation Competent Person Training allows students to complete an intensive 30-hour training course. This is a good course in which an excavation contractor can enroll the team.

Attend seminars directed toward information for excavation contractors

Seminars allow excavation contractors the opportunity to enroll their excavation team for educational updates and ideas. They learn safety measures to take with equipment and tips for completing jobs more efficiently.

I recommend: American Subcontractors Association offers a two-day convention for excavation contractors as well as others. Northland Pioneer College conducts a one-day seminar for excavation contractors that discusses OSHA safety regulations.

Subscribe to professional magazines to learn of new techniques and events in the excavation business

Periodicals are a great way for excavation companies to stay informed about news, events, and products in the industry. Excavator contractors read reviews and gain ideas from magazine articles. Magazines also feature upcoming calendars of events for seminars and training courses.

I recommend: Forester Magazine offers excavation articles that discuss techniques for moving earth. ACP Pubs is a magazine that offers news, equipment discussions, and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When considering the topics needed for excavation contractors education and training, include licensing procedures. In most cases, one needs certain licenses for operating heavy equipment. In some cases, a city license or permit is necessary before beginning any type of construction within city limits.

Choosing qualified and reliable excavation contractors is more than just a matter of finding a contractor capable of achieving the results you want on your project. You must consider the safety issues of your construction site. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), excavation is one of the most hazardous construction operations. The fatality rate of excavation workers is 112% higher than any other area of construction.

Excavation projects may be large scale or small. The type of excavators needed range in size from a large excavator and other equipment, such as an excavation bucket, to the much smaller scaled mini excavator. Be sure the excavation business you consider has the appropriate equipment for your project.

Steps for choosing qualified excavation contractors include:

1. Choosing local excavation companies, which are more likely to be familiar with factors specific to your region such as soil composition, common weather conditions, and local regulations
2. Requiring all excavation companies you are considering to submit bids and contracts in writing
3. Being sure the excavation business is licensed, insured, and bonded before you sign any excavating contracts

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Find qualified excavation contractors

Excavation work can be hazardous. To protect yourself and your business, be sure the excavating contractors you hire are licensed, insured, and bonded. Be sure the excavation contractor you hire is fully aware of and able to comply with all OSHA regulations pertaining to commercial excavating contractors. Excavation is a high priority for OSHA, and it is likely that if your project is large, your job site will be inspected.

I recommend: An excavation contractor directory such as thebluebook.com which presents excavating contractors by state with individual profiles of each contractor that include their contractor’s license number, affiliations, certifications, and examples of recent projects completed. EveryContractor.com also has referrals to prescreened excavation contractors in your area.

Get at least three written bids from excavating contractors

A good bid should include a detailed materials list with specifications, labor costs, specific time frame of your project, and a payment schedule. Professional excavating companies will address issues that could delay completion, such as bad weather.

I recommend: BidClerk and WeDoItAll.com provide free bids from contractors in your area – usually within hours.

Verify that your excavation contractors are licensed, insured and bonded

Insurance and bonding is important since excavation work is often hazardous. Confirm that your contractor has General Liability Insurance to cover any damage that might occur to your property, Workers Compensation Insurance to cover excavation contractors or any employee of the excavation business who might be injured while working on your property, and Bonding to protect you if the excavation business is unable to complete your project. Ask to see your contractor's state or local contractor's license, Certificate of Insurance, and Certificate of Bonding.

I recommend: The Contractor’s License Reference Site connects you to your state's contractor license board. In general, the Secretary of State’s Office in each state is responsible for contractor licensure. DoItYourself offers a similar service, allowing you to search for contractor license and registration information by region of the country.

Research the excavating contractor's safety record

Since excavation contracting is one of the most hazardous construction trades, it is important to be sure any contractor you consider has an excellent safety record. Ask your excavation contractors how many accidents their company has been involved in.

I recommend: OSHA has a website that reports violations and fines. Enter the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code 1794 for excavation contractors in the “SIC” space, and you can search by your state to see the violators. This tool can help you determine if any of your potential excavation contractors have a history of OSHA safety violations or any current outstanding fines. The Better Business Bureau allows you to search for complaints filed against a contractor's company and provides a ranking of consumer satisfaction.

Get a written excavating contract

A well-drafted contract is essential when hiring excavation contractors. For larger projects, I would recommend hiring a lawyer to draft your contract or to review any contract presented to you.

I recommend: Legalzoom.com and FindLegalForms.com both sell prepared contracts based on the laws in your state. The sample contract forms from 411HomeRepair.com and ServiceMagic show the elements that should be included in your contract. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs also has an excellent contract form that may be modified to suit your project.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask your excavation contractors for references and check them. This one step may make your choice apparent.
• •  Be sure your excavation contractors have contacted all utility companies and identified and marked all buried utilities prior to breaking ground.
• •  Visit a current project to see that the site is safe and the excavators and crew meet OSHA standards.
• •  Communicate with your excavation contractors. If changes must be made to the original contract or if unexpected problems arise, communicate in writing.

Excavation contractors undertake various construction operations, such as moving or displacing earth, rock or other material from above or under the ground. Some other services provided by excavation contractors include digging basements, removing snow and demolishing buildings.

While interacting with professionals from the excavation industry you will need to be aware of industry jargon. This guide will familiarize you with certain excavation contractor terms, such as clearing and grubbing, trench excavation, rough grading and fill dirt.

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Clearing and grubbing

Before the excavation work can begin, clearing and grubbing of the site is necessary. This is the primary task of an excavation contractor. If you are a client, you can specify the extent of clearing and grubbing that needs to be done at the site.

I recommend: To learn more about the clearing and grubbing activities, you can read through information at Frankston City Council (PDF).

Rough grading

Rough grading involves cutting and filling of earth at a site prior to the final work. This is another task that excavators can perform.

I recommend: To learn more about rough grading, read through information at Classic Landscape Centre, an online resource on developing landscapes.

Trench excavation

Many excavation contractors offer trench excavation services, where they dig trenches of the dimensions specified by the clients. A trench is a depression in the ground that is narrow as compared to its length and has considerable depth.

I recommend: Read through the definition of trench excavation at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, an informative website for construction safety standards.

Fill dirt

One of the jobs that excavation contractors perform is filling in the depressions or holes in the ground to elevate and prepare the ground for construction using fill dirt, an earthy material free of organic substances.

I recommend: For the definition of fill dirt, you can read through the glossary at EMG, a leading real-estate decision provider.

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards

Excavation is a hazardous construction activity. Excavation contractors must ensure compliance with OSHA standards to protect their staff from danger. OSHA has several standards that address different performance issues.

I recommend: You can learn more about OSHA Standards for excavation and trenching at Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).

Backhoe

A backhoe is dual purpose for loading and excavating operations. The loading attachments are at the front end and the excavating attachments are connected at the rear end of the backhoe. Most contractors make use of this equipment in their operations.

I recommend: For the definition of this term, read through the technical glossary at NExT (Network of Excellence in Training), an industrial training website.