GENERAL SLOPING OR SHORING REQUIREMENTS
SAFETY INSPECTION
Oleh : Bayu
Nurwinanto
The
trench excavation works must be closely supervised to ensure compliance with
the statutory requirements, permit conditions and contract specifications,
including all safety precautions. Many previous failures resulting in
casualties or social disruption were likely to have occurred because of
non-compliance due to inadequate site supervision. The permit holders, their
consultants if employed and contractors all have an important role to play
during the construction of the trench excavation works. That is to ensure the
safety of the personnel involved in the trench excavation works and the general
public who may be affected by the works.
Safety
Inspection
Apart from the daily
on-site supervision by the contractors and the consultants if employed, the
project proponents, client Departments or utility undertakings concerned should
arrange inspections of trench excavation works sites as and when necessary in
order to check that all statutory requirements, permit conditions and contract
specifications related to safety measures are in place. Any non-conformities
identified during site safety inspection should be documented and brought to
the attention of the relevant parties for immediate rectification.
Safety
Checklist
This is a basic checklist
for site supervisory staff who have a key role in ensuring compliance with
statutory requirements, permit conditions and contract specifications. Other
items should be added or items can be marked as not applicable as appropriate
to suit particular trench works. For example, if the shoring design has already
allowed for the loading from construction vehicles and stockpiled materials
placed within 1.5 m from the edge of the trench, Item (i) of the checklist may
be marked as not applicable. In cases where non-compliance is observed, the
supervisor should investigate whether the variations are permissible. If
variations are confirmed to be not permissible, all works should be suspended
until appropriate steps have been taken to rectify the situation. The site
supervisory staff should fill in and sign the checklist, and should list those
steps, if any, that have been taken to rectify the situation in the checklist
for record purposes.
- Construction vehicles, excavated spoil, materials, etc. are being kept at least 1.5 m away from the edge of the excavation.
- Spoil heaps are being properly placed and covered, and will be kept sheltered in wet weather, or will be removed for maintaining access for pedestrians and traffic.
- Adequate safe access to and egress from any trench is being provided and properly maintained.
- The open trench is properly lit and fenced off in accordance with Code of Practice for the Lighting, Signing and Guarding of Road Works (HyD, current version).
- The location of any buried services has been identified and clearly marked.
- Crossing services are properly supported
- Trenches are being supported according to the design and contract specifications.
- The workers are working at safe distances from each other .
- The assumptions used in the design are still valid.
- There is no movement or deterioration of the ground that may put adjacent services, roads, structures or slopes at risk.
- The area is unaffected by vibration induced by the operation of heavy machinery.
- The ground water level is as used in the design (i.e. not higher).
- The work is being done in accordance with the specifications/drawings. If not, is the variation permissible?
- Unsupported trench faces are safe, with no sign of peeling away, progressive collapse, etc.
- The method of withdrawing support during backfilling is safe.
- Backfill material is being properly compacted.
- Flooding is not observed in excavations.
- There are proper sumps.
- There are adequate working and stand-by pumps of sufficient capacity on site.
- Upstands along either side of the trench are provided.
- Gaps/voids between support and the vertical trench sides are filled.
- The open trench is being securely covered when work is not in progress.
- A full-time watchman is making frequent spot-checks during rainstorms.
General
Sloping or Shoring Requirements
Minimum sloping or shoring requirements and
maximum spacing of timbers are given in Tables 1 and 2 and illustrated in
Figures 1 to 16. Variations from these standards or alternate designs must be
in accordance with written instructions from a professional engineer.
When or where shoring is required, no worker shall
be in an excavation until support systems are installed. Excavation support systems
must be installed as soon as possible after excavation to minimize soil
movement. The support system must be installed firmly in contact with the excavation
walls. Any voids or spaces between the shoring system and the excavation walls must
be backfilled or blocked, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. Shoring walers and
struts should be installed starting near the top of the excavation, and
progressing downward. Removal of these members should progress upward from the
bottom of the trench.
Shoring uprights must extend at least 300 mm (1 ft)
above the top of trench walls (except where road plates are being used). Uprights
must go as close to the bottom of the trench as permitted by the material being
installed in the trench, but in no case more than 600 mm (2 ft) from the
bottom. Uprights must not be inclined outward more than 15˚ from vertical when
viewed along the trench. (See Figure 10).
Sawn lumber used for
shoring and timbering must be a minimum of No. 2 or better from the following
groups :
- Douglas fir-larch.
- Hemlock-fir.
- Spruce-pine-fir.
- Coast Sitka spruce.
Hydraulic or pneumatic jacks must have a means to ensure they
will not collapse. A combination of sloping and shoring may be used, as shown
in Figure 15, Excavation slopes or supporting systems must be inspected daily
or more frequently if required, and must be effectively maintained.
The
sides of the excavation must be trimmed or scaled to remove any loose material,
rocks, or other objects that could endanger workers. A level area extending 600
mm (2 ft) back from the edges of the trench must be maintained free of
materials and equipment.
In trenches of similar excavations over 1.2 m (4 ft) deep, a
ladder or other safe means of entry and exit shall be provided in the immediate
area where workers are employed. The ladder must extend from the bottom of the
excavation to at least 1 m (3 ft) above the ground level. Walkways for access
to a bulk excavation must be at least 500 mm (20 in) wide, and have handrails
and guardrails where required by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
Water must not be allowed to accumulate and remain in excavations. Erosion of excavation
faces or bearing surfaces must be controlled.
End shoring may be omitted where the soil conditions at the end
of the trench do not require shoring or where the maximum allowable spacing of
uprights equals or exceeds the width of the trench. End shoring is required
where the spacing of uprights must be close and tight or less than the trench
width. Where end shoring is required, the walers for the end shoring should be
installed to bear against the walers that extend along each side of the trench,
or alternately in a manner that will provide equivalent structural restraint. End
shoring must be designed by a professional engineer where the trench width exceeds
1.8 m (6 ft).
Where the base width of an excavation exceeds 3.7 m
(12 ft), shoring may require engineering design or be impracticable. In an
unsloped excavation that has not been certified by a professional engineer,
workers should remain clear from the base of the slope a distance not less than
the depth of the excavation. To ensure that workers do not violate this minimum
distance, barricades, warning ribbons, and/or signage should be installed.
Size and Spacing of Members
Table 1: Trench Support
Structures (Metric)
Note :
The dimensions shown are minimum and must be increased if
necessary to meet job conditions.The dimensions of members in millimeters are
actual dimensions for surfaced dry materials. The dimensions in inches are the nominal
values for surfaced dry materials. Members must be at least No. 2 or better, Douglas
Fir-Larch, Hemlock-Fir, Spruce- Pine-Fir, or Coast Sitka Spruce.
Trenches less than 1.2 m (4 ft) deep must be shored when the
potential for hazardous ground movement
is likely, as in ground subject to hydrostatic pressure or vibration. Walers
may be omitted in trenches not exceeding 2.4 m (8 ft) in depth provided the
soil is sufficiently hard and solid to safely permit waler deletion, and the
trench is not in proximity to previously excavated ground.
At least two struts must be installed in each vertical
plane where struts are required. For trenches 4.6 to 6.1 m (15 to 20 ft) deep, shoring
for each soil type should be similar in general appearance to that show in
Figure 7.
Size and Spacing of Members (continued)
Table 2: Trench Support
Structures (Imperial)
Notes :
on Table 1 apply to
Table 2
Hard and Solid Soils (Type A)
Figure 1:
Depth 1.2 m to 3 m (4 to 10 ft)
|
Figure 2: Depth 3 m to 4.6 m (10 to 15 ft) |
Note:
For trenches 4.6 m to 6.1 m (15 to 20 ft) deep, refer
to Table 1 or 2 for size and spacing of members. The general appearance is
shown in Figure 6 or 7, except that additional walers and struts will be
required.
Hard and Solid Soils (Type A) (continued)
Figure 3: With Walers Omitted
Depth
1.2 m to 2.4 m (4 to 8 ft)
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Figure 4: Depth 1.2 m to
3 m (4 to 10 ft)
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Soils Likely to Crack or Crumble (Type B) (continued)
Figure 5: Depth 3 m to
4.6 m (10 to 15 ft)
|
Note:
For trenches 4.6 m to 6.1 m (15 to 20 ft) deep, refer
to Table 1 or 2 for size and spacing of members. The general appearance is
shown in Figure 6 or 7, except that additional walers and struts will be
required.
Soft, Sandy, Filled,
or Loose Soils (Type C)
Figure 6: Depth 1.2 m to
3 m (4 to 10 ft)
|
Note:
The third level of bracing is optional, depending on
the depth of excavation.
Soft, Sandy, Filled, or Loose Soils (Type C) (continued)
Figure 7: Depth 3 m to
4.6 m (10 to 15 ft)
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Figure 8
End Shoring — Typical Detail
|
Note:
For trenches 4.6 m to 6.1 m (15 to 20 ft) deep, refer
to Table 1 or 2 for size and spacing of members. The general appearance is
shown in Figure 6 or 7, except that additional walers and struts will be
required. Uprights must extend to bottom of trench. Uprights for end shoring
are not shown for clarity. Refer to Table 1 or 2 for appropriate size and spacing
of uprights and walers. Soil type at end of trench may be different than at
sides of trench. Walers and uprights installed for end shoring must be
appropriate for local soil type.
Soft, Sand, Filled, or Loose Soils With Plywood Sheathing (Type
C)
Figure 9: Depth 2.7 m (9
ft) Maximum
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Figure 10
Position and Slope of
Uprights
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Notes:
Shoring must be sized for the full depth of the trench.
There should be no indication while the trench is open of a possible loss of
soil from behind or below the bottom of the shoring. Generally, the stability
of Type C soils (soft, sandy, filled, or loose) will not be adequate to permit
significant excavation below the shoring.
Figure 11
Typical
Blocking in Lieu of Backfilling
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Figure 12
Required
Joint Arrangement for Walers
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Figure 13
Sequence for
the Installation and Removal of Shoring
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Figure 14
Required
Slope of Unshored Excavation Walls
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Figure 15
Combined Sloping and Shoring
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Unshored
trench and excavation walls must be sloped flatter than the angle of repose,
but in no case steeper than 3 horizontal to 4 vertical unless otherwise
specified in writing by a professional engineer. The angle of repose is the natural stable slope loose excavated material forms when dumped on a level surface.
Figure 16
Where side slope of original
ground is steeper than 3H:1V, soil pressures are greater and engineering is required |
Benching
All benched excavations 6.1 m (20 ft) or less in depth
shall have a maximum rise between benches of 1.2 m (4 ft). For unrestricted
worker access at any level, the width of the bench immediately above any
particular rise shall not be less than 1.5 times the height of that rise. For example,
the minimum bench width for a 1.2 m (4-ft) rise would be 1.8 m (6 ft).
Figure 17
Traffic Adjacent to Excavation
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Note:
Engineering is not required if equipment remains
beyond limit shown.
Results Of Field Photo
Figure 1
Timber support with one layer of struts for shallow depth of
excavation
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Figure 2
Timber support with two layers of
struts
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Figure 3
Timber support for deeper excavation
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Figure 4
Steel sheet pile support
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Figure 5
Steel sheet pile support
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Figure 6
Typical vehicle crossing over trench
opening which is also effective for preventing
surface runoff and infiltration
of rainwater
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Figure 7
Timber support protruding above ground
with cement
motar wedge applied to
prevent surface runoff |
Figure 8
Sheet piles protruding above ground
with cement
mortar wedge applied to prevent surface
runoff
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