Regulation
Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction, RLRQ c. S-2.1, r. 4
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)
Section 3.15 (digging, excavations and trenches), read by the research.
Open the source- Consulted
- October 10, 2026
- Region
- QC
- Language
- fr
Cited by
Guides
- Building a paver or slab patio
- Building a paver walkway
- Building a paver driveway
- Building a paver pool deck
- Building a block garden wall or retaining wall
- Before you dig: locates, permits and property lines
- Yard drainage: slopes, downspouts, French drain, catch basin and dry well
- Grading the yard around your house
What we take from it
- Before digging, the employer must check for underground pipes and locate them exactly on the ground.
- The safety code forbids materials within 1.2 m of a trench edge and requires shoring of the walls, with exceptions.
- The safety code requires the employer to find buried lines in the area and locate them exactly on the ground before digging.
- The safety code allows a line to be disconnected, moved or left in place only with its owner's prior approval and temporary supports.
- The safety code requires shoring of walls except in sound rock, when nobody goes in, with a slope under 45 degrees starting 1.2 m from the bottom, or on an engineer's certificate; no materials within 1.2 m of the edge, no machines within 3 m.
- The safety code requires a ladder every 15 m of trench and bars people under 18 from trench work.
- 1.2 m and 3 m distances.
- Wall rule beyond 1.2 m.
- Trench shoring rules.
- Barricades beyond 3 m.
- Protection of neighbouring structures.
- Keep excavations reasonably dry.
- Section 3.15 of the construction safety code.
- Excavation and trench safety rules.
- 1.2 m rules for walls and materials, and 3 m for machines.
- Shoring rules.
- Construction safety code.
- A trench a worker enters must be shored, with exceptions such as walls sloped under 45 degrees starting less than 1.2 m above the bottom; no material within 1.2 m of the edge and no machine within 3 m.