Culvert Inspection and Cleaning Safety

Key Hazards

• Workers struck by traffic while accessing roadside culverts
• Falls on steep, wet, eroded, or unstable banks
• Drowning, entrapment, or impact from changing water flow and released debris
• Animal, insect, biological, and contaminated-water exposure
• Confined-space or hazardous-atmosphere conditions inside culverts
• Workers struck by excavators, loaders, vacuum trucks, or removed material

2–3 Minute Talk Script

Culverts may be reached from a road shoulder, ditch, stream bank, or steep slope and can change from an open drainage feature to a restricted and dangerous space. The crew should assess traffic, terrain, water, weather, access, and equipment needs before beginning.

Roadside traffic controls and vehicle positioning should be established first. Vehicles should not be parked where they block sight distance, create a rollover risk on a soft shoulder, or force workers to walk in an active lane.

Banks and inlets may be undermined, slick, overgrown, or unstable. Workers should use a safe approach, avoid standing on unsupported edges, and use fall protection or another access method when the slope cannot be negotiated safely.

Water depth and speed can change quickly because of rainfall, upstream releases, snowmelt, or blockage removal. Workers should not enter flowing water or a culvert when they could be swept, trapped, submerged, or struck by released debris.

A culvert can contain low oxygen, toxic gases, poor ventilation, restricted entry, animals, nests, sewage, or chemical contamination. Any entry should be evaluated under the applicable confined-space and environmental procedures rather than treated as ordinary drainage work.

Blocked material can be under pressure or supporting additional debris. Workers should use equipment and tools from a protected position and avoid standing directly downstream or in the path where logs, rocks, sediment, or water may release.

Excavators, loaders, vacuum equipment, jetting lines, and winches should be operated with clear communication and controlled exclusion zones. Workers should stay out of swing radii, pinch points, and the path of suspended or dragged material.

The job should stop when water rises, weather deteriorates, the bank moves, unexpected contamination is found, or the required access cannot be maintained. The drainage opening and roadside area should be left stable and free of hazards.

Safety Reminders

• Assess traffic, terrain, water, weather, and access before starting.
• Keep vehicles stable and workers out of active lanes.
• Avoid unsupported banks and slippery or eroded slopes.
• Do not enter moving water or a culvert without proper evaluation.
• Expect contamination, animals, and confined-space hazards.
• Release blockages from a protected position.
• Stop when flow, weather, ground, or access conditions worsen.

Ask the Crew

• How will workers reach the culvert without traffic or fall exposure?
• What could change the water level or flow during the job?
• Could the culvert or access route be a confined space?
• Where will debris and water travel when the blockage releases?
• What condition will require the crew to stop?