ISNet RAVS Documents
Excavations - BC RAVS
An Excavation RAVS is the written answer document that satisfies the excavation element of the ISNetworld RAVS questionnaire. This BC version is written to Part 20 of the BC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, so an ISNetworld reviewer can verify it against the legislation WorkSafeBC enforces. You add your company name, confirm the company-specific details, and upload it to your ISNetworld account.
- Pre-written answer aligned with Canadian regulatory references
- Upload to ISNetworld, Avetta, or ComplyWorks
- Word format — add your company name and customise in minutes
- Written by Canadian safety professionals
- Instant download after purchase
Need a different RAVS element?
Browse the BC RAVS library, all RAVS documents, or request a custom RAVS for an element not in the catalogue.
Overview
What this RAVS document does
A trench or excavation that has not been sloped, shored, or engineered is one of the highest-consequence hazards on a BC worksite, and a cave-in gives a worker no warning. A hiring client that configures this element wants to see a real excavation program before it approves a contractor to dig.
This document states your company's excavation program in the structure an ISNetworld reviewer expects: how underground utilities are located, when a professional engineer's instructions are required, how excavation walls are sloped or shored, and how workers enter, exit, and are protected around an open excavation. Each point ties back to Part 20 of the BC OHS Regulation. The file arrives in editable Word format - add your company name, confirm the company-specific details, and upload.
What the reviewer verifies
What ISNetworld checks
ISNetworld does not just check that an excavation answer exists. A reviewer verifies the document addresses each requirement the hiring client has configured. For this element, that typically means confirming the document covers:
- A written excavation program with purpose and scope
- Location and identification of underground utilities before digging begins
- When excavation work requires the written instructions of a professional engineer
- Sloping, shoring, and bracing of excavations more than 1.2 m deep
- Safe entry and exit, guarding of open excavations, and spoil pile placement
- Daily inspection of the excavation and control of water accumulation
What is inside
The document sections
- Purpose, scope, and definitions
- Roles and responsibilities
- Excavation hazards and pre-job utility location
- When a professional engineer's instructions are required
- Sloping, shoring, and bracing of excavation walls
- Safe entry and exit and guarding of open excavations
- Spoil pile placement and control of water accumulation
- BC OHS Regulation references
Regulatory references this RAVS is written to
- BC OHS Regulation
- Part 20 - Construction, Excavation and Demolition
- Governing legislation
- Workers Compensation Act (British Columbia)
- Regulator
- WorkSafeBC
Who it is for
Who needs this RAVS
This RAVS is for BC contractors whose hiring clients require the excavation element in ISNetworld, Avetta, or ComplyWorks. It applies to civil, utility, pipeline, foundation, landscaping, and environmental contractors whose crews dig trenches or excavations. If a hiring client's pre-qualification configuration flags excavation, this is the document the reviewer is waiting on.
Practical guidance
How to pass the excavation review the first time
- Use the BC version. ISNetworld reviewers reject excavation answers written to the wrong jurisdiction. This document is written to Part 20 of the BC OHS Regulation and is what WorkSafeBC enforces.
- Match the wall-protection method to your work. If your crews enter trenches, the document must describe sloping or shoring; if they never enter, the program should say so plainly.
- Keep your utility locates and engineer instructions. The RAVS states utilities are located before digging and that deep or loaded excavations follow engineered instructions. A hiring client audit will ask to see both.
The full library
Browse every BC RAVS document in one place
One catalogue, filterable and searchable, for the whole province.
Working in another province?
The same RAVS, written for other provinces
ISNetworld reviewers verify each answer against the legislation of the province the work is in. Pick the version that matches where your crews actually work.
Common questions
Questions about this RAVS
- What does the ISNetworld BC excavation RAVS include?
- It is a complete, pre-written excavation program written as an ISNetworld RAVS answer. It covers utility location, when engineered instructions are required, sloping and shoring, safe entry and exit, and control of water and spoil piles, all referenced to Part 20 of the BC OHS Regulation.
- When does an excavation need a professional engineer in BC?
- The document states that excavation work follows the written instructions of a qualified registered professional when the excavation is more than 6 m deep, an adjacent structure could be endangered, or the excavation is subject to vibration or hydrostatic pressure, among other conditions.
- Is this written to BC legislation?
- Yes. The document is tied to Part 20 of the BC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and the Workers Compensation Act, which WorkSafeBC enforces. ISNetworld reviewers verify provincial answers against provincial legislation.
- How long does it take to complete and upload?
- Most companies finish in 15 to 30 minutes. You add your company name, confirm a few company-specific details, then copy the content into your ISNetworld RAVS questionnaire.