Slopes and pits

Dear colleagues,

In February and March 2023, there were two accidents in Switzerland in which construction workers were buried in trenches and died. Although the accidents did not occur on Implenia construction sites, we too have recently received several warnings from the Swiss enforcement authority (Suva) on the subject of slopes. So we should also learn from these accidents.

In Switzerland, as in other Implenia countries, it is clearly regulated when slopes and pits must be secured and when there must be proof of safety from a specialist engineer. We must strictly adhere to these guidelines to ensure the safety of our employees and to avoid warnings and further consequences.

Please discuss this topic with your teams and go through the questions in the attached document.

During site visits and safety tours, please make sure that our excavation pits are well secured. An outside eye may notice something that the colleagues on site have overlooked.

Best wishes

Felix Akeret

Global Head Safety