SAFE SYSTEM OF WORK EXCAVATIONS

INTRODUCTION No soil can be relied upon to support its own weight for any length of time. It should be remembered that 1m3 of earth weighs approximately 1.3 tonnes. Even a small fall of earth can be sufficient to kill or inflict serious injury. Therefore, unless the sides of the excavation can be battered to a safe angle, the sides will need to be supported to prevent the possibility of a collapse. Whenever excavation works are to be undertaken, consideration shall be given to the nature of the soil and the conditions that will be met, the method of excavation to be used and the manner in which the required support shall be provided. GROUND CONDITIONS It is essential that, prior to work commencing, detailed information regarding the ground conditions be obtained. If the water table is to be exposed by the excavation, careful consideration shall be given to how it may affect the excavation sides. Surface Water Ditches, streams, etc., that may be interrupted by the excavation, shall be safely diverted. Where the excavation crosses the slope of the ground, cut off ditches shall be considered if the works are to be carried out in a rainy period. Where field drains are visible they shall be cut off and diverted before the main excavation works start. Ground Water If ground water is present and presents a danger of collapse or flooding of the excavation one of the following techniques of control shall be adopted: 1. Dewatering, by pumping the water out, thus lowering the water table to below the level of the excavation; 2. Stabilisation of the ground by chemical injection or freezing. In either case, specialist advice shall be sought, prior to excavation commencing. Consideration shall be given to the effect that dewatering is likely to have on any adjacent structures. Where the water lies over impervious strata, and the depth of this stratum is not too great, sheet piling shall be used to form a substantially watertight wall. This will cut the water off from the excavated area, thus allowing work to proceed in the dry. Permanent works, such as diaphragm walls and secant piling, may also be utilised in this way SOILS Saturated Clay Silts These present the most difficult problems, as the sides will slump into the excavation. When operating in this type of soil, dewatering shall be undertaken prior to commencement of the excavation. Saturated Silt or Sand Dewatering outside the line of the excavations shall be undertaken, where possible. If this is not possible, sheet piling shall be installed, to a sufficient depth to prevent the danger of water boiling up through the bottom of the excavation. This operation is only to be undertaken by experienced and competent personnel. Sand Sand, where there is a degree of silt present, may stand up initially. The stability of the sides is an illusion, as rain may provide the necessary lubrication to start a collapse, or the sand may dry out, again allowing the excavation sides to collapse. The sides of the excavation shall be battered back, wherever room allows, or adequate, close timbered support shall be provided. Soft Clay

Battered excavations in soft clay shall receive careful consideration in relation to the slope, as too steep a slope can result in collapse. If battering to a safe angle is not possible, full sheeting of the excavation shall be provided. The method of installation of the sheeting shall: 1. Allow for the sheeting to be pre-driven before excavation takes place, or 2. Be capable of sheeting to a pre-determined depth prior to excavation proceeding further, or 3. Allow the main supporting members to be installed horizontally as the excavation proceeds downwards. Firm or Stiff Clay These clays will stand unsupported after excavation, but their stability can deteriorate rapidly and the face is liable to collapse without warning. Collapse starts in two ways: 1. When the soil is excavated lateral pressures are relieved causing the sides to swell inwards. Cracks occur and unstable lumps of clay can fall into the excavation without warning. 2. The clay may contain cracks or fissures, which occur due to the drying out of the soil. When surface water penetrates these cracks the clay is softened and lumps can readily break away. The soil is to be battered back. However, if this is not possible properly assessed support shall be used. Rock Rock excavations appear, at first sight to present the least problems. However, all rock masses are separated into blocks by bedding planes, cleavage planes and fissures, all of which are weaknesses which can contain water or thin layers of clay which can act as lubrication, allowing movement along the planes. Excavation tends to leave ragged faces. Small but heavy fragments may be held in place quite loosely and vibration will dislodge them. All of these loose fragments are to be knocked down as the excavation proceeds. Support is to be provided if there is any doubt as to the stability of the rock face. EXCAVATION METHODS The system of excavation and the type of support to be used cannot be considered separately, as both will interact with the other. Persons dealing with the temporary support are to liase with those deciding on the type of plant to be used - this is of particular importance where pipe work or other materials are to be lowered between the supports. SUPPORT PRINCIPLES Battering Back This is the technique of sloping the sides of the excavation so that the soil is at its natural angle of repose and is probably the safest method of excavating. Where waterlogged ground is involved, specialist advice is to be taken, as dewatering will be required to improve the soil stability. Surface water can seriously affect the stability of battered excavations. Therefore, where surface water is present or is likely to occur, interceptor trenches are to be dug, to divert the flow of the water.

Double Sided Support With this method of support, the forces exerted by the soil are transmitted, through the support, from one side of the excavation to the other. Hence, if the supports are correctly designed and installed, one side of the excavation supports the other. This is the most effective of all the methods of support and is to be used wherever possible. This is the method that is used in most forms of proprietary prefabricated trench supports. Where the soil is saturated, and dewatering has not been utilised, there is a serious danger of the water boiling upwards through the bottom of the excavation. If this occurs there is a serious risk of the sides collapsing. Here the penetration of the sheeting into the soil is a key factor and the support is to be designed and installed by a competent person. Single Sided Support with Raking Shores Here the support is given to one side of the excavation, the pressure from the face taken through the shore and into the unexcavated ground. An adequate foundation is to be provided to enable the transfer of the forces. When raking shores are used to resist horizontal forces a vertical uplift force is introduced into the supports. The design of this system is to allow for sufficient toeing in of the sheeting to resist these forces. With the use of ground anchors, the situation is similar, but here the forces are reversed, with the vertical components trying to pull the whole assembly downwards. Single sided support systems are not suitable for standard solutions and are, therefore, to be designed and installed by a competent person. It should be noted that this system is most frequently used to protect boundary conditions. Single-Sided Cantilever Support Single-sided cantilever supports are only to be designed and installed by a competent person. They are only to be used: 1. In ground conditions which are stable enough to resist the overturning forces; 2. Where the effect of superimposed loads and their stability is not critical. The deflection can be reduced by the use of a propped cantilever. This involves the tying back of sheeting to a suitable anchorage point. STANDARD SOLUTIONS In the majority of cases the support of excavations is carried out using a standard solution. The manufacture of proprietary equipment has increased the scope for these methods. However, some excavations will require detailed design of the support by a competent person. The use of standard solutions shall only apply where: 1. The excavation is double sided, narrow, not deeper than 6m and in non-water bearing ground; 2. The excavation is a shallow pit no deeper than 6m; 3. Water problems have been eliminated by well pointing, dewatering, etc. and the excavation falls within the parameters of a) and b) above; 4. An unsupported trench, no deeper than 6m, is feasible. When adopting this approach the following shall be noted: 1. Proper account is to be taken of the ground conditions when considering battering back the sides of the excavation; 2. Supporting methods shall comply with recognised good practice; 3. Installation of proprietary systems is to be carried out in conformance with the manufacturers instructions; 4. The system of work adopted is to be clearly explained to those involved in the installation of the

protection and others who will be working in the excavation; 5. The system of work is to be illustrated, where possible, with drawings or manufacturers literature, together with check lists; 6. The methods of work, instructions and sketches are to be strictly followed; 7. Specialist advice is to be sought if there is any doubt as to the safety of the operations being carried out. DESIGNED SOLUTIONS Adequate soil data is required where design solutions are to be utilised. This information can be provided by boreholes or trial pits. The interpretation of this information and the design of the support methods require the services of a specialist. TIMBERING SYSTEMS Timber Timber is used as a sheeting material in the form of poling boards, runners, walings and struts. The use of poling boards depends on the materials to be excavated being able to stand to a height equal to the length of the board during the boards installation. There are two variations of this method: 1. Middle board is installed by excavating to the depth equal to the length of poling board being used. Poling boards are then installed vertically, on both sides of the excavation. The walings are then placed in position horizontally and strutted against the poling board. The security of the poling boards is to be checked and chocks are to be installed to hold them firm as necessary. Excavation then continues down for the next level of poling boards. Timber struts can be replaced by metal trench struts and the poling boards can be replaced by metal sheeting. 2. Tucking frame method only differs from the middle board method in that the walings and struts are placed at the top and bottom of the poling boards instead of the middle. The excavation needs to be slightly deeper than the length of the poling boards to enable the board to be tucked up and under the waling. Where the ground will not stand long enough to allow the installation of poling boards runners are used. These are longer sheeting members than poling boards and can be of timber or steel trench sheets. In bad ground the runners are driven into the soil, prior to excavation, as far as they will reasonably go. A shallow excavation is dug and the first level of waling and struts installed and wedged. The digging then continues, until the runners are only just held by unexcavated material. Wedges on the runners are loosened and the runners driven down again and the wedges re tightened. This continues until the next waling is installed and subsequently until the excavation is completed. Where the excavation is being undertaken by mechanical means, protection must always be placed from the top of the excavation, prior to any person venturing into the trench, with, at least, the poling boards and the first upper level waling and struts in position. Sheet Piling This has the advantage of easy driving in poor ground, prior to starting excavation. In firmer ground it can be driven partially, then driven further as the excavation continues. Sheet piling has the following advantages: 1. The main structural support is in place before excavation starts; 2. The interlocking is reasonably watertight, making its use ideal in waterlogged ground or very unstable ground; 3. Sheet piling is the only suitable support for cantilever protection; 4. Sheet piling can be used where there is an impermeable level below the excavation, to cut off the water-bearing layer of the excavation. H or Soldier Piling

Here steel universal columns are driven at determined centres, prior to excavation. As the excavation proceeds the exposed face is supported by trench sheeting or timbering set between the piles. This method has a number of important advantages when heavy support is needed: The main structural support is in place before excavating; The sheeting can be kept tight up with the excavation, which need not be unsupported for any length of time; Maximum economy of sheeting material is possible in that open or close boarding can be used within the same excavation; Where services cross the excavation the piles can be installed between the services and horizontal sheeting can be located above and below the services. H piling can be applied to both single and double-sided excavations. It is not suitable for cantilever support or in waterlogged ground. This must be designed by a competent person. Proprietary Systems These fall into a number of well-defined groups: 1. Hydraulic struts associated with waling systems; 2. Shields or boxes dragged along the bottom of the excavation; 3. Box or plate supports; 4. Special methods. All proprietary systems are to be used strictly in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. INSPECTIONS AND EXAMINATIONS Inspections are to be carried out by a competent person with the following frequency: 1. Every day that men are working in any type of excavation, shaft, tunnel, etc.; 2. At the beginning of every shift of: Tunnel working face, Working ends of trenches more than 2m deep, and The base or crown of a shaft. Thorough examinations of every type of excavation are to be carried out: 1. After explosive charges have been fired; 2. After any damage to timbering, trench sheeting, etc. or after any fall of earth or collapse of material, and; 3. In any case, every seven days. A record of these thorough examinations must be made in the employers Record of Inspection register. Where operations are expected to be completed within six weeks, and records are not kept on site, the examination is to be carried out by a competent person and the record completed within one week. RELATED SAFETY The following safety requirements are also to be considered in relation to excavations.

Access A safe means of access to and from the excavation is to be provided, along with a means of escape in the event of an emergency. Ladders are to be of sound construction, of adequate length and strength and are to be placed in the supported section of the excavation. They are to be secured at their upper end and are to project at least 1.05m above the excavation. Gangways across the excavation, where persons can fall more than 2m are to be fitted with toe boards and guard-rails and are to be at least 430mm wide for personnel access or 600mm wide for access of persons and materials. Where bridges need to be installed, to allow plant to cross the excavation, they are to be designed by a competent person. Barriers The edges of all excavations are to be protected by a barrier, or are to be covered. The barrier may be removed to allow the passage of personnel or materials, but is to be replaced. Storage of Materials Materials are not to be placed within 1m of the side of the excavation. Materials that may roll into the excavation are to be securely chocked. Lighting The edges of the excavation are to be lit during the hours of darkness, especially on public thoroughfares. During the winter or in deep excavations, lighting shall be provided, where necessary, to enable operations to continue safely. Ventilation Excavations are to be kept clear of toxic fumes and gases. Where these are suspected ventilation shall be provided. Underground Services Proper precautions are to be taken to ensure that underground services are located prior to excavating. Full details of the precautions to be taken are in the section Overhead and Underground Services. Noise Occupational and environmental noise is a hazard in excavations. Reference is to be made to the section Noise.

CHECK LIST 1: SITE CONDITIONS Information on the ground conditions and local constraints (adjacent structures, etc.) is to be available in order to determine the methods of excavation and support. The following are to be ascertained prior to decisions being taken: 1. What are the soil types and groundwater conditions? 2. Is there any information on work previously carried out in the area? 3. What adjacent structures are there? 4. Are there any obstructions, likely to limit excavation works, such as services and clearances? 5. Have any defects in adjacent structures been noted by the client? 6. Is there a risk of surface flooding? 7. Is the excavation within the site boundary? Will any extra precautions be needed to protect the public? 8. If the excavation is a trench, what is the maximum depth to be supported and what length of materials have to be installed? Can piping be tested in short lengths or is manhole-to-manhole required? 9. What surface loads are likely to arise? 10. Will there be any vibration? Will this affect the stability of adjacent structures? Once the above have been answered the following need to be considered: 1. If the ground is waterlogged, are the conditions suitable for dewatering? Can battering be used without damage to adjacent structures? 2. Is there a likelihood of the ground water "boiling" through the trench bottom? 3. How long will the excavation be open? 4. Is there likely to be a problem with surface water? Can cut off ditches and drains be dug? 5. What support do any services crossing the excavation require? When all these have been answered, a decision can be made about the use of protection.

CHECK LIST 2: BEFORE WORK STARTS 1. Is the person supervising the work fully experienced and competent in the support of excavations? 2. Have all the services been located and proved as to position? (See Overhead and Underground Services). 3. Are the necessary drawings and sketches available? Have operatives been fully instructed as to method of work? 4. Are the required materials available on site? 5. Has the excavator a certificate of exemption for lifting and is a copy on site? 6. Have arrangements been made for site security? 7. Is there adequate room to work and for spoil heaps? 8. Are the material for barriers and any required traffic signs available? 9. Will bridges or gangways be needed? Is the equipment available? 10. Are sufficient ladders available for access to and from the excavation? 11. Will lighting be required? 12. Is the appropriate protective equipment available? 13. Are the operatives experienced in the type of excavation? Will extra supervision be required?

CHECK LIST 3: WHILST WORK IS IN PROGRESS The following are the main items that need to be checked in carrying out the inspections and examinations as required by the Construction (Health, Safety, Welfare) Regulations. 1. Is access to and from the work face sufficient and secure? 2. Are all working faces secure, wedges tight and support material free from damage? 3. Is there any sign of movement or deflection of the support materials? 4. Is the soil condition as predicted? If not, what action should be taken? 5. Are soil heaps away from the edge of the excavation? 6. Are materials and plant well clear of the edge? 7. Has the supporting system been installed in accordance with the drawings/ manufacturers instructions? 8. Are the walings and struts supported against falling downwards? 9. Is there a risk of gases or noxious fumes getting into the workplace? 10. Are regular tests for gases or fumes being carried out? Is ventilation necessary? 11. Has the risk of flooding been properly assessed? 12. Have all personnel been instructed in the evacuation procedure? 13. Have all support materials been correctly checked, prior to installation? Are the correct pins provided in the trench struts? 14. Is the work adequately protected and marked during the day and at night? 15. Are the operatives wearing safety helmets? 16. Is adequate lighting provided? Is the lighting system safe? 17. Are gangways and bridges wide enough, fitted with handrails and toe boards? 18. Is there a laid down system of support withdrawal and have those involved been correctly instructed? 19. Where dewatering is used, is a watch being kept to ensure that fine materials are not being pumped out from behind the support system?