Fact Sheet:
Construction Focus Four: Caught-In or Caught-
Between Hazards
Caught-in or caught-between hazards cause
crushing injuries when a person is squeezed,
caught, crushed, pinched, or compressed
between two or more objects.
Examples of caught-in or caught-between
hazards are:
Cave-ins during trenching
Being crushed between a truck and a forklift
The following working conditions may
contribute to caught-in or caught-between
hazards:
▪ Unguarded moving parts
▪ Unprotected excavations
▪ Heavy equipment tipping over
▪ Collapsing walls
▪ Working between moving and stationary
objects
OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER
Training
Buried-in or buried-by hazards can occur in
trenches and during excavations. Cave-ins can
suffocate or crush workers, and scaffolds can
collapse and bury workers.
Pinned-in or pinned-by hazards can occur when
a worker becomes pinned between a solid object
and another piece of equipment, causing broken
bones and/or suffocation. Examples may include:
▪ Being caught between the wall and a piece
of equipment
▪ Being caught between stacked materials and
another solid object
▪ Shoring and construction material in a
trench
Protecting Yourself from Caught-In or Caught-
Between Hazards
You can protect yourself from caught-in or
caught between hazards by:
▪ Maintaining awareness of and distance
between equipment around you
▪ Never getting between movable materials and
immovable structures
▪ Ensuring loads are stable and secure
▪ Wearing seatbelts as appropriate
Remember…
Certain construction activities, such as training in
scaffold erection, conducing excavation
inspections, performing engineering surveys
before demolition, and conducting ongoing
inspections during a job, must be performed by a
competent person.