Excavation RAMS: lessons from the £1.15m Banstead trench collapse fines
In September 2026 a principal contractor and a subcontractor were fined a combined £1.15 million, and a contracts manager received a suspended prison sentence, after a worker was killed when an unsupported trench collapsed in Banstead, Surrey. The case shows exactly what an excavation RAMS must prevent.
What happened
On 24 June 2020, Gheorghita Arsene, 33, was replacing a damaged pipe at the bottom of a deep trench on Park Road, Banstead. The trench had no supports and excavated soil had been piled right next to it. The walls collapsed and he was buried under about two tonnes of soil. He died at the scene.
The outcome
- Appledorn Developments Limited (principal contractor): fined £500,000.
- T Vaughan Limited (subcontractor): fined £650,000 and ordered to pay £40,000 costs.
- Both companies were convicted of breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 after a trial in September 2026.
- The contracts manager pleaded guilty to breaching section 7 and received 10 months' imprisonment suspended for 18 months, plus 150 hours of unpaid work. He had seen a worker in the unsupported excavation earlier that day and did not ensure protective measures were in place.
The lesson: liability reached the principal contractor, the subcontractor and an individual manager. Each of them needed a plan for the excavation and needed to make sure it was followed on the day.
What an excavation RAMS must cover
- Planning: depth, ground conditions, groundwater, nearby structures, traffic and loads near the edge.
- Buried services: service drawings, cable avoidance tool scan, hand-dug trial holes, permit to dig.
- Support of the sides: battering or stepping the sides, trench boxes, sheet piling or shoring designed for the depth and ground. No one enters an unsupported trench where there is a risk of collapse.
- Spoil and materials: kept back from the edge so they do not overload the sides or fall in.
- Edge protection and access: barriers, stop blocks for plant, safe ladders or steps.
- Plant: banksman, exclusion zones, competent operators, no working under the bucket.
- Inspections: by a competent person at the start of each shift, after any event likely to affect stability and after accidental falls of material, recorded.
- Atmosphere and water: risk of gases in deep excavations, pumping, and a rescue plan.
- Supervision: who stops the work if supports are missing, and how that is enforced.
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Principal contractors: what to check
- The subcontractor's RAMS covers support of the sides for the actual depth and ground.
- The construction phase plan identifies excavations as a significant site risk (burial under earthfalls is listed in Schedule 3 of CDM 2015).
- Inspections are recorded and supervisors are empowered to stop work.
FAQ
Do I need trench support for every excavation?
Excavations must be prevented from collapsing where there is a risk to people. Support, battering or trench boxes must be suitable for the depth and ground conditions, and nobody should enter an unsupported trench where collapse is possible.
How often must an excavation be inspected?
A competent person should inspect excavations at the start of each shift, after any event likely to affect their strength or stability, and after any accidental fall of material, and record the inspection.
Who is liable if a trench collapses?
Potentially everyone with control: the principal contractor, the contractor doing the work and individual managers or supervisors. In the Banstead case two companies were fined a combined £1.15m and a contracts manager received a suspended prison sentence.
What documents do I need for excavation work?
A RAMS specific to the excavation, a permit to dig where buried services may be present, inspection records and, on multi-contractor sites, coverage in the construction phase plan.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Documents must be reviewed by a competent person and reflect the actual site and work. Sources: HSE press release, 9 September 2026 (Banstead trench collapse sentencing); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, sections 3 and 7; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 22 and Schedule 3; HSE, Avoiding danger from underground services (HSG47).