A certification-band excavation supervisor course of 19 interactions and 6 validated competencies covering soil classification, protective systems, access, and daily inspection. It builds a grounded, defensible basis for authorizing workers to enter a live trench.
Excavation-supervisor oversight for supervisors, foremen, superintendents and site leads accountable for excavation work — who run the crew, the plan and the program — on residential, ICI and heavy-civil construction, and utilities, pipeline, municipal-works and site-servicing sites.
Equip the excavation supervisor, foreman, superintendent and site lead to run the system the rest of the family depends on — assigning the competent person, verifying the locates…
At a glance
Format: Online, self-paced and interactive
Length: about 1 hour 10 minutes, 5 modules
Pass mark: 80% on the final test
Certificate: QR-verified, valid for one year
Jurisdiction: Manitoba law and standards
Who this course is for
Excavation supervisors and competent persons who direct trenching work and authorize workers to enter excavations.
Supervisors, foremen and lead hands accountable for excavation and trenching crews, the plan and the protective systems that keep them safe
Superintendents and site leads responsible for excavation work on residential, ICI and heavy-civil construction sites
Utility, pipeline, municipal-works and site-servicing supervisors who direct crews opening the ground to install or repair services
Safety coordinators and health-and-safety personnel who administer an excavation, locate-verification and inspection program
What you will learn
Describe the supervisor / oversight role in the excavation system — every open trench is your call; you don't dig, classify or locate, but you own the plan, the verification, the enforcement and the emergency
Apply the empty-column rule and map the roles — the dig, the soil classification / inspection and the locate belong to the crew, the competent person and the locate process; the supervisor assigns the competent person and verifies the pre-dig conditions rather than doing the frontline act, and never assigns work beyond training
Confirm the pre-dig verification the supervisor owns BEFORE any digging — valid locates in hand, a competent person assigned, a protective-system plan matched to the soil, a spoil and egress plan, and an atmosphere plan for deep trenches
Make the supervisor's hard calls — do not let the dig start without a valid locate AND an assigned competent person, enforce the protective system and back the competent person's stop under production pressure, and run the utility-strike and cave-in emergency response
Course outline
Every Trench Is Your Call — The supervisor / oversight role: every open trench is your call.
Who Owns What / Before the Bucket Drops — The duty map across the family's roles AND the pre-dig verification the supervisor confirms before…
The Calls You Make — Do not let the dig start without a valid locate AND an assigned competent person, and BACK the…
The Program and the Rescue Plan — What an excavation-oversight PROGRAM contains, and the supervisor's gap-finder skill.
No One Goes Down to Save Them — Every open trench is your call — and no one goes down to save them, because the instinct to jump in…
Laws and standards covered
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210)
Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006
CSA Group — home page (CSA excavation and shoring standards are cited generally for the protective-system design and…
Certificate and renewal
Passing the final test issues a QR-verified certificate, valid for one year.
Common questions
How long does Excavation Supervisor Responsibilities take?
About 1 hour 10 minutes online, over 5 modules, at your own pace. It ends with a final test that needs 80% to pass.
How long is the Excavation Supervisor Responsibilities certificate valid?
One year from the day you pass. Orientra’s standard is for excavation oversight to be reviewed at least annually and whenever the work, the soil, the crew or the site conditions change — a deeper or longer trench, different or previously-disturbed ground, water in the excavation, a new competent person, a new protective system, a near-miss, or a change in the crew or the plan all trigger a refresh.
Which laws and standards does Excavation Supervisor Responsibilities cover?
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210); Manitoba WSH Regulation MR 217/2006; CSA Group — home page (CSA excavation and shoring standards are cited generally for the protective-system design and…; and 5 more listed on this page.
Who should take Excavation Supervisor Responsibilities?
Excavation supervisors and competent persons who direct trenching work and authorize workers to enter excavations.