# Caught-in and caught-between hazards

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/caught-in-between
Last updated: 2026-10-23

Caught-in and caught-between injuries happen when a body part gets pinned, crushed, or pulled in by equipment, materials, or a collapsing trench. These hazards are on our jobs every day, around machines, loads, and excavations. One second in the wrong spot can cost a hand, a leg, or a life.

## Key points

1. Never stand between a moving machine and a fixed object like a wall, truck, or stack of material. If you could get pinned there, move.
2. Stay out of the swing radius of excavators and cranes. Make eye contact with the operator before you walk near the machine.
3. Do not enter a trench 5 feet or deeper unless it has a protective system like shoring, a trench box, or proper sloping. Ask the competent person if it has been checked today.
4. Keep spoil piles and equipment back from the edge of the trench, at least 2 feet. Weight near the edge can cause a cave-in.
5. Before you work on or under equipment, shut it off, lower blades and buckets to the ground, and block anything raised. Never trust hydraulics alone to hold a load over you.
6. Keep guards in place on belts, gears, and rotating parts. Tie back long hair and skip loose clothing and jewelry around moving parts.
7. When backing equipment, use a spotter and make sure the backup alarm works. Workers on foot stay clear of the blind spots.

## Talk it over

- Where on this site could someone get pinned between a machine and something solid?
- Who checks our trenches each day, and what do you do if you see cracks or water?
- Has anyone had a close call with a swinging bucket, a backing truck, or a moving part? What happened?

> **Remember:** If you could get pinned, crushed, or buried where you stand, move before you work.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.600](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.600) — Motor vehicles and mechanized equipment — equipment
- [29 CFR 1926.652](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.652) — Requirements for protective systems

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.