Steve Barnhardt 
It starts with what’s perceived as a great idea to accomplish things better, faster, and or safer. It always seems like a no-brainer to adopt great ideas and improve how things are done in hindsight. Inventors and entrepreneurs invest huge sums of time and money into developing and refining these ideas. Once the inventor or … Read more
The contractor was upgrading the stormwater infrastructure for a Northern Virginia city. The contractor would be blasting the site to help prepare an excavation for a bore pit of approximately 40-ft long by 16-wide to a depth of 18-ft. Due to the blasting, the site’s shale, rocky, red clay soil had been classified as Type … Read more
A contractor had been engaged to upgrade a water and sewer infrastructure bordering a railroad in South Texas. This particular phase of the project required boring beneath a railroad to install a twin 84-in steel pipe culvert and perform a pour-in-place headwall. The planned bore pit would require soil protection for approximately 67-ft wide, 20-ft … Read more
On practically every construction project involving soil, whether excavating, moving, or building atop, there is usually a geotechnical investigation. The report is financed and commissioned by the owner and project design engineer for the purpose of obtaining soil properties relative to the structural stability and longevity of the project. The basic exploratory program most often … Read more
A contractor was pouring piers and structural foundations for an airport passenger transportation system at a Gulf Coast airport. The contractor had classified the soil type as sandy C-60 soil. The contractor would be dealing with a topography clustered with adjacent structures typical of a large, metropolitan airport including a parking garage and airport service … Read more
A contractor was tasked with upgrading an existing gate valve and upsizing the existing 18-inch drain to a 36-inch drainpipe. The project required a system that could hold back 4 to 6-ft of water while the crew completed the work. The project required a 16-ft square pit excavated to a depth of 12-ft in what … Read more
Excavation support and shoring decisions can be complicated. The number of soil conditions and variables that go into defining the problem and the shoring system alternatives to choose from can be overwhelming. The results of getting it wrong can be very expensive while being overly cautious can result in not getting awarded the job or … Read more
A Gulf Coast Florida water treatment plan was undergoing construction to increase its capacity. As part of the project, the utility contractor would be drilling shaft foundation piers as part of a poured-in-place lift station package. The project called for the excavation of an approximately 14-ft deep and 24-ft squared pit in Type-60 soil. Given … Read more
A Northern Virginia site development contractor had been engaged to clear a site located across a creek. The area didn’t have the means to access the site other than crossing the creek, which the Army Corp of Engineers had forbidden on this project. The contractor needed the means to bring the heavy equipment necessary to … Read more
Excavation work presents several situations where temporary access bridges can be necessary. One common example is a pipeline excavation utilizing shoring shields combined with sloping, which will require a bridge to provide worker access from the unsloped surface to the shoring shield. OSHA Subpart P, 1926.651(l) provides some guidance in this respect: “Walkways shall be provided … Read more
The following report was developed and written by the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and is being published under NUCA’s express permission. If you would like to learn more about NUCA or this report you may contact NUCA at (703) 358-9300 or through its website, www.nuca.com. History Crystalline Silica (silica) is a common component of … Read more
A well-known contractor in South Las Vegas performed a water and sewer replacement. The job required the replacement of 12-inch to 18-inch water and sewer lines, demolition of old existing sewer, and decommission of old manholes. The excavation was comprised of right-angled and linear open-cut runs to a maximum depth of 12-ft with varying widths. … Read more
The contractor was engaged to participate in the expansion of an industrial facility along the Gulf Coast. For this particular phase, the contractor would be laying a triple barrel box culvert that would be used for efficient drainage of the site. The project would require an open cut of approximately 28-ft wide, 200-ft length, and … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Tucson, Arizona. “Tucson is an important market as we look to strengthen our Arizona and … Read more
The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) is promoting a National Trench and Excavation Stand Down to raise awareness of the dangers in excavation work to prevent injuries and death related to these hazards. As a proud NUCA partner we are participating in this outreach program as well as to support our customer’s emphasis on promoting … Read more
At National Trench Safety we are in the process of developing useful shoring cost estimating information for construction managers and estimators. In the process, I am developing a series of articles about the estimating process. Construction cost estimating can easily be broken down in a systematic way. Everything that goes into building anything can be … Read more
The owners of two petroleum pipelines were preparing for the addition of new rail infrastructure and commissioned a contractor to reinforce the existing lines. The contractor would be excavating approximately 180-ft of pipeline to a depth of 8-ft and a width of 12-ft in sandy Type C-60 soil. Once the site was excavated, the contractor … Read more
Due to increased traffic congestion around a large airport, a Midwestern municipality had initiated a project to create a new toll road into the airport to ease traffic congestion. The project would require the contractor to update and or relocate surrounding utilities and infrastructure lines. On this particular phase of the project, the contractor would … Read more
As part of an ongoing project at a large Florida airport, a contractor needed to pour pier structures to support the transit system that would move travelers from the parking garage to the terminals. This particular phase of the project would require two excavations, each 16-ft square and 10-ft deep in a sandy Type C-60 … Read more
A contractor was installing footings for what will become a five-story parking garage to support a new ten-story building being built approximately 75 yards from the parking garage site. The contractor had classified the red, clay soil as a Type C-60 soil and this portion of the project would require a 16-ft square excavation to … Read more
Water has an undeniable impact on the selection of shoring systems. The presence of water can have a significant impact on soils, which is why water is commonly mentioned in most manufacturers ‘ tabulated data. The water table tells the contractor where to expect water, it’s based on soil sampling on a specific job site, … Read more
A site-specific plan begins by using the actual soil condition from the job site, whether from a soil report from the project or in the absence of a formal soil report, visual observations, and assumptions that are verified at the time of excavation and shoring installation. With a site-specific plan, the interpretation of the soil’s … Read more
A contractor would be setting two electric vaults and running the supporting duct banks, which required a 10-ft deep excavation. The vaults and supporting infrastructure would need to be set on a relatively small area, which limited the size of the machinery available to set the protective system. The contractor contacted NTS to discuss the … Read more
A Gulf Coast, Florida municipality was upgrading its airport infrastructure with the addition of a new monorail to allow for better distribution of travelers at the airport. In constructing the new monorail, the contractor would need to pour a foundation and pier structure to serve as the structural base for the system. This particular phase … Read more
A contractor was performing a directional drill project on an existing gas line and would need to cross privately owned land as part of the project that was currently being used as a pasture. The contractor would be transporting a directional drill rig, excavators, and trucks through the pasture and down the gas line while … Read more
A Denver, Colorado based utility contractor recently completed construction and installation of a new 30-inch storm sewer line beneath an existing roadway in an extremely busy section of Westminster, Colorado. Ensuring the stability of the existing roadway and surrounding structures, as well as the safety of its employees, the contractor determined the most efficient and … Read more
One of the more interesting questions I receive from contractors well versed in both the excavation standard and manufacturer’s tabulated data regards the application of OSHA’s 20-ft depth requirement for site-specific engineering. Quite often I hear the statement “Anything over 20 feet deep must be designed by a registered engineer.” There is a lot of … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Orlando, Florida. “Orlando is a diverse construction market that has shown strong growth trends and … Read more
A golf course in the Nevada area was undergoing restoration, which would include work on an existing water line. The contractor would need to excavate around that line to repair and upgrade it, requiring the excavation of approximately 15-ft long, 14-ft wide, and 10-ft deep. The contractor’s Competent Person had reviewed the sandy soil mixture … Read more
A development company in Eastern North Carolina was preparing a site for what will eventually become a waste disposal site. As part of the project, the contractor had to install the supporting infrastructure for the site. On this particular phase of the project, a subcontractor was installing an 18-in gravity groundwater interceptor drain. The contractor … Read more
