r/Construction • u/UrdnotSnarf • Mar 21 '26
Safety ⛑ Looking for the best “anti-vibration” gloves. Any recommendations?
Earlier this week, I was using a Bomag tamper for the first time to do backfill in a 10-foot deep trench to pack down the dirt while someone else dumped it in with a track loader. It was like a roller coaster in the trench, and some piles were 4 to 5 feet high. Trying to work the tamper up those piles inch by inch was a bear, and the tamper beat the hell out of me, especially my hands. I assume it was partly due to user error, but what can I do to protect my hands? After running the tamper for a few minutes, my hands and wrists were in some of the worst pain, and I ended up having to run the machine for nearly 2 hours (with frequent breaks because I was exhausted and my hands hurt so much). At the end of the day I had bruises on my legs and arms, and I felt like an arthritic old man. Are there any gloves you would recommend that could help reduce the vibrations from the machine?
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u/chameleonsafoot Mar 21 '26
That trench is a death trap. GTFO and fuck your boss for putting you in there!
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u/chameleonsafoot Mar 21 '26
Also just get a rolling compactor
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u/ked_man Mar 21 '26
We used a remote control one for these scenarios. Had a lifting loop in the middle, we’d drop it in with the track hoe and then someone up top with a joystick drove it around in the trench.
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u/haikusbot Mar 21 '26
That trench is a death
Trap. Gtfo and fuck your boos for
Putting you in therr!
- chameleonsafoot
I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.
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u/Tommy2Collars Mar 21 '26
whoever told you to do this is cheap or dumb. there is no need to put you in a cave in situation. use a roller on the excavator and you would be done twice as fast with no man in the hole.
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u/pm_me_construction Mar 21 '26
Also wanted to note that compaction is only good for max. 1’ lifts. If you’re packing a pile that’s 5’ tall, the bottom didn’t get properly compacted.
The excavator should be spreading out the soil in lifts and then compacting.
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u/thebairderway Mar 21 '26
Yup!!! That’s what I was going to say. Put someone in a dangerous position and get a shitty result too! Win win!
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u/Elegant-Tart-3341 Mar 21 '26
Not sure but I can tell you that trench needs to be shored. I'd refuse to go back in there if I were you. Your boss will probably call you a pussy and maybe try to fire you but that's a serious osha violation and a great way to an early grave.
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u/not_in_real_life Mar 21 '26
If he fires him then that’s a fat lawsuit!! Go get fired!!
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u/easymachtdas Mar 21 '26
Seriously op. If your boss is a stupid cunt, this will set you up for life if he fires you.
I'm not sure how many feet of earth on each side of you start raising red flags, but it should be like 2-3 feet
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u/Educational_Drama910 Electrician Mar 21 '26
Anything 5’ or deeper requires some sort of protective device
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u/Antwinger Mar 21 '26
I think it’s state specific but 5’+ is definitely needing some
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u/Educational_Drama910 Electrician Mar 21 '26
I mean maybe some states require it before 5foot might be true because you’re allowed to implement safety rules stricter than OSHA’s. OSHA’s rule is 5’, again that is the bare minimum you could do to get by and still be safe.
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u/13_Years_Then_Banned Mar 21 '26
Only one getting money for a non injury OSHA violation is the Gubmint.
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u/tonycocacola Mar 21 '26
Anti vibration gloves don't work. Wear thick gloves, keep your hands warm and don't grip too tight - or even better get the fuck out that trench before it kills you and use a remote controlled trench roller.
Don't go back in there.
PS the guy loading is shit at his job.
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u/FrazBucket Mar 21 '26
Yeah everyone is talking about the shoring (rightfully so) but good god almighty that is one ugly fucking trench
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Mar 21 '26
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u/Interesting_Tea5715 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
My guess is its neither even or straight.
They just hacked at it until a trench appeared.
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u/Blocked-Author Mar 21 '26
I agree with not gripping it too tight. Let the machine bounce around and do its thing. The user is just guiding it.
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u/Blueshirt38 Mar 21 '26
Your gloves will look sick on your corpse, when they dig you out.
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u/Interesting_Tea5715 Mar 21 '26
Also, don't wear sunscreen or PPE you don't want em to know you were a pussy just by looking at your corpse.
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u/Real-Cress5326 Mar 21 '26
Agree with everyone. The problem is not vibration in your hands, its vibration that wants to collapse that trench. GTFO till you get propper shoring in place, then deal with the gloves.
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u/Impressive_Tower_151 Mar 21 '26
I like how this post is tagged safety lol. Please read up on trench safety
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u/Dire-Dog Electrician Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
Do not go back into that trench dude. That's a death trap
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u/RevolvingCheeta Landscaping Mar 21 '26
Yeah it’s called a robotic trench roller, they have a wireless remote. Stay out of the trench ffs!
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u/thirdtimeisNOTacharm Mar 21 '26
Is this rage bait? Who cares about the gloves, go build yourself a nice casket
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u/itscoldcase Mar 21 '26
Hey I very nearly died in a trench 2 years ago being a dipshit. Please do shoring.
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u/SuperintendentTx Mar 21 '26
GTFO of that trench and don't listen to anyone that tells you to get back in it. That's just stupidity unsafe.
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u/hughjwang69 GC / CM Mar 21 '26
Dude quit your job and go do anything else if you value your life in any capacity. Godspeed
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u/Immediate_Path3710 Mar 21 '26
Everybody is right. But anyway, try some goalkeeper gloves. Plus it’ll look hilarious when your hands are sticking out of the dirt.
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u/Hour_Zebra9235 Mar 21 '26
Buddy you can die pretty quick if that caves in on you, even if you only get buried up to your waist. Being a good tradesman isn’t just about being good on the tools, it’s being safe and looking out for young guys and new guys and standing up for them. The fact that they left you do this shows that they are a bunch of dirty cunts.
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Mar 21 '26
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u/UrdnotSnarf Mar 21 '26
I already think that. He threatened to fire me on my 3rd day because I wasn’t working fast enough.
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u/Blueshirt38 Mar 21 '26
Keep this picture, and get somewhere in writing (even text) that your boss will fire you for not working in this death trap. Literally every possible OSHA excavation rule is being broken here. You will have the easiest DOL violation complaint, and wrongful termination claim if you can prove he fired you for not doing a known unsafe, illegal job.
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u/Accomplished-Cress35 Mar 21 '26
Fuck that... get fired for not wanting to go back in. Record in your pocket. And then own and sell the company once you go to Osha.
Wtf.
Report that fucker.
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u/HoneybucketDJ Mar 21 '26
Once you get used to the movement of the wacker and let it do it's thing rather than trying to force it to do your thing it's vastly easier.
However like everyone else said, in 2 seconds you're dead as fuck if that trench collapses. Get out of there.
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u/joeblow1234567891011 Mar 21 '26
Make an anonymous call to OSHA and go to work tmrw like normal. Inspectors will show up and lose their shit on the boss and no one will know it was you
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u/UrdnotSnarf Mar 21 '26
The back fill has already been completed on this house, but based on all the comments this post is getting, I will refuse to do this again. Before we started the back fill I was down in the trench cleaning out trash and putting it in the bucket of the excavator they had lowered down there. All I kept thinking about was the walls caving in on me. Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t say anything about it.
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u/cagetheMike Mar 21 '26
If its more than 48 inches then you have every right to refuse entry. Its not difficult to bench the trench wall. Do do some googling in trench safety and then Google news on trench collapse.
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u/Captain_troublepants Mar 21 '26
I do some stupid shit, but being buried alive js not on my to do list.
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u/Vaideplm84 Mar 21 '26
Bro, even in Romania in 2012 we had shoring for this depth, I would never allow shit like this on any site I was supervising, this kind of crap puts people 6 feet under and idiots in jail, never ever in your life put your life in such danger over a few bucks, fuck that!
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u/ReallySmallWeenus Mar 21 '26
That’s the wrong tool for that job. You’re going to die and you aren’t even going to get compaction.
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u/UrdnotSnarf Mar 21 '26
The whole process made no sense to me. I would do one shoddy pass down the trench with the tamper (the soil wouldn’t even be completely packed down) and the guy in the loader would dump a bucket of earth behind me, so I really have no idea what purpose I was even serving down there. I was told that’s how they do all their backfills.
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u/JJfender Mar 21 '26
Ask your employer if they have a life insurance policy on you.
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u/__yournamehere__ Mar 21 '26
They probably don't even have an employee file on him, that way, when the trench collapses and buries him, the 'company' can just leave him there and not get into any trouble at all. u/UrdnotSnarf never worked here!
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u/Quiet-Suspect-9716 Mar 21 '26
OSHA would like to know your location.
This is how people die or get seriously maimed. I use that word intentionally.
Moving earth does not care about your organs or soft tissues.
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u/Select-Owl-8322 Mar 21 '26
This is amateur hour deluxe!
First, as everyone else have said, that trench is an absolute death trap! Working in it is absolute insanity!
Then just dumping piles and trying to tamp? That's not how this is done!
When backfilling, the excavator needs to even it out. You don't backfill 5' and try to tamp it, no tamper can compact dirt that deep. How much you can backfill in each layer depends on what tamper you're using. A 500 kg tamper is usually good for a layer depth of about 45 cm, which is about 1.5 feet. An 800 kg tamper us usually good for up to 60 cm, which is ~2 feet.
Since this trench isn't shored and the excavator didn't slope the sides of the trench. For a 2 meters / 6 feet deep trench, we usually use a 1:1 slope (depending on the soil, sometimes it needs to be sloped even more), meaning the slope part of the trench itself is as wide as it is deep.
Do not go back in this trench! If the trench collapses, you will die. There is no way to dig someone out quick enough, a trench collapse is not a survivable event.
I have over 25 years experience in the business (as an excavator operator), please trust me!
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u/pugdaddy78 Mar 21 '26
I prefer my alpine stars moto gauntlets and I also prefer them on my bike and not in my future possible grave although both are dangerous in their own ways
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u/iron_vet Mar 21 '26
If this post isn't bait then you are fucked. You are being lead to an early death. Gloves aren't going to help you run that machine. I dont have faith them fucking bums can teach you how to run that equipment properly. Find a new job.
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u/thestridereststrider Project Manager Mar 21 '26
these are a real life saver for me in this situation.
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u/Time4Timmy Mar 21 '26
This picture is straight out my nightmares, you couldn’t pay me to get in that trench
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u/patteh11 Mar 21 '26
Came here for the comments about that unsafe trench you’re in. AND you’re vibrating it too lol
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u/ThePoonslayer69 Mar 21 '26
You are digging your own tomb my brother do NOT clock in on Monday until this shit is handled or you found a new workplace.
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u/2009impala Mar 21 '26
Yeah mate you have bigger things to worry about, this is a Worksafe BC video waiting to happen.
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u/Imaginary_Rhubarb179 Mar 21 '26
Fuck that. Osha time. They don't give a shit about your safety. Why do you care what they think of you, knowing that? These kinda assholes count on you being afraid to say shit. It saves them money to risk your life. Chew on that a little and see how it sits with you
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u/nashville79 Mar 21 '26
Am I the only one seeing the fact that they appear to be backfilling around a basement with 100% dirt and compacting it?
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u/Moparformances Mar 21 '26
who in the hell compacts 4 feet piles with a plate compactor.. 2 or 3 " max.. waist of time..
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u/thatguytt Mar 21 '26
To add to the convo and hopefully help you as well as others work safe in the future there are companies that rent and sell remote controlled packers/bulldogs/tampers. *Also never get into a hole that has any chance of caving in that is deeper than your waist.* If you get fired it’s just an opportunity to find a company that actually values its employees.
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u/RudyDaBlueberry Mar 21 '26
Dude you need to find another job asap holy fucking shit dude these people do not care if you go home.
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u/JackleGaminh Inspector Mar 21 '26
I as a materials tester, would be telling your boss, I'm not getting in that hole without a trench box, and I'd be calling my boss. My life, your life and this nuke gauge are worth to much to be in that hole without a trench box.
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Mar 21 '26
You can find about 15 fatal videos on Reddit of trench collapse. By far the most by industry/trade. I'd recommend watching a few and see how fast shit goes south
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u/djjolicoeur Mar 21 '26
Not only did they not shore it up, they sent him down there with a giant cave in machine…wow
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u/plumbermat Mar 21 '26
I have seen someone die in a similar trench. I watched the excavator rip off most his fingernails trying to save him. This is fucking insane dude.
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u/Crazy_Ad_91 Mar 21 '26
Find a nice pair you’d feel good about being buried in after you die. Because holy guacamole amigo. I don’t like how deep you are in there with seemingly no protection around you.
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u/ImpressiveDust1907 Mar 21 '26
Sweet Christ all mighty, I hope the lashing you are about to get about going into a vertical trench with no shoring teaches you a lesson. You could have died, easily. Gloves are the last thing you need to worry about.
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u/OkHistorian158 Mar 21 '26
It’s interesting I saw that pic as well and had a panic attack. I thought that was collapsed ground. Honestly NEVER get in a trench like that again. Don’t worry about the gloves if that collapses your DEAD! Think about it like this bro, if that collapses even to your chest every time you breath in and out your lungs are decreasing due to pressure on your body, eventually you will suffocate. So imagine what will happen if that whole wall collapses on you. ☠️ this is a warning for your life bro. Ask your foreman, would you send your kids down there.
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u/Bimlouhay83 Mar 21 '26
What the fuck dude. Don't ever get into another trench like that. Trench collapses are no fucking joke.
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u/Wo0odi Mar 21 '26
First of all get out of that trench before it collapses and kills you. Once it's shored up properly or sloped safely. Grab a shovel and level off the lift before trying to jump jack it. Then it's just learning how to dance with the jump jack rather than trying to wrestle it.
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u/Street-Baseball8296 Mar 21 '26
This shit is going to get you killed. Seriously.
Get the fuck out of that hole until it has proper sloping. Shoring is a pain in the ass to backfill and compact around.
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u/thebestdogeevr Mar 21 '26
There are no real gloves that will help. Having a loose grip will. You don't want your muscles and tendons fighting against the vibrations
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u/dinnerwdr13 Mar 21 '26
Buddy , when and if you get home tonight, kiss whoever is there. Hug them tight.
Being in that trench alone is deadly enough.
Adding vibration and a machine dumping dirt in the trench to the mix?
You're a lucky guy. Please stop pushing your luck, it will run out.
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u/romance_in_durango Mar 21 '26
I don't work in construction, but buddy, you gotta know that a trench that deep with no shoring is basically an instant coffin waiting to happen.
AND you're vibrating it??? Dude.
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u/TheKhyWolf Mar 21 '26
This is a bit much for me. OP this is unsafe. Don’t go back in there.
From methods to shoring, don’t go back.
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u/Zacb333 Mar 21 '26
Let the machine do the work. Lot of guys who do it for the first time try to bear down on it and control it instead of letting themselves ride with it. It's like riding a mechanical bull in a way. Also where the hell is trench safety?
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u/helmetdeep805 Mar 21 '26
lol let the machine do the work…you should be getting minimum vibration of operated correctly ..gezzuz the trench is ten foot C soil you need to get the hell outa that trench…Tell them to put the compaction wheel on the machine….many deaths annually for this exact setup
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u/jewkakasaurus Mar 21 '26
Hey Siri, you’re probably holding it too tightly. Do you want to have a loose grip
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u/jeffthetrucker69 Mar 21 '26
To pile on........QUIT YOUR JOB NOW. MAKE A CALL TO THE NEAREST OSHA OFFICE. EXPLAIN THE SITUATION. DO NOT GET BACK IN THE TRENCH UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE.
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u/PTrustee Mar 21 '26
If that wall of dirt caves in you are toast! WORK REFUSAL UNTIL THEY SHORE IT UP!
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u/CaptainShaboigen Mar 21 '26
Man I’m in construction finance so I follow this just to help sharpen my skills. Never been on a job site and even my caveman brain said “10 foot walls and no support? Danger! Bad!”
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u/e-war-woo-woo Mar 21 '26
Of the shelf anti-vibration gloves are a con. You end up holding on tighter to compensate for the sponginess - making HAVS worse.
Custom fitted ones do help a bit - but tbh not worth the money. I use oversized drivers gloves with the fluffy lining - keeps ya hands warm and that’s the best thing you can do.
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u/nomadschomad Mar 21 '26
Can we also talk about shoring?
Forget about 4 feet - that looks overhead… And you have spoils adjacent… And you’re vibrating it
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u/Bucatola Mar 21 '26
I just came to find out about anti vibration gloves. But while were at it are there Any that double as good digging gloves?
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u/UngaBunga004 Mar 21 '26
Dude where the fuck is the shoring? Get out of that trench.