Steve Barnhardt

A contractor was performing a project to update the labeling associated with a parking garage for a hotel and casino.  The existing striping had become faded and needed to be refreshed to promote better visibility of directions as well as limit confusion regarding parking spaces.  The contractor would need to shut down sections of the … Read more

A contractor was tying in a new development’s sewer and water reclamation systems to the municipal infrastructure and needed to provide its crew with a safe working environment during that process.  The manhole installation and tie-in for this phase of the project would require an excavation depth of approximately 12-ft in a rock, clay soil … Read more

A South Texas contractor was performing part of a residential upgrade project, which included the construction of a new wet well. The contractor would be framing and pouring a concrete pad for the three section wet well, with the wet well then connecting to an existing lift station.  Local population growth and anticipated future growth had … Read more

 The contractor was performing a project to connect new sanitary sewer infrastructure, as well as replacing an existing manhole, to improve flow and efficiency. The contractor’s competent person had classified the clay soil as a Type B soil at the top of excavation and transitioning towards a Type C-60 soil as the depth increased. The … Read more

A contractor would be replacing a 40-ft pipe joint to keep an ethylene gas pipeline flowing safely. The excavation would traverse into a swampy area where the initial excavation would proceed into a water-filled, swampy soil and then progressing to hard, sandy clay once excavated past the water table’s depth. The location of this project … Read more

A contractor had been tasked with installing an effluent distribution box between two existing structures at an Eastern North Carolina wastewater treatment plant. The project would provide a 50% increase in the daily processing volume for the municipality, while also reducing energy costs 20%. The effluent distribution box and related slab would require a very … Read more

A contractor was performing restoration services as part of a $1.5 million contract with the state of Utah. For this specific phase of the contract, the contractor needed to bring heavy equipment to the monument being restored while also minimizing damage to the heavily landscaped lawn to prevent costly restoration. The contractor discussed the desire … Read more

National Trench Safety introduced the Lite GuardTM Aluminum Shield last spring and has begun the process of manufacturing and deploying the shield to NTS branch locations. The Lite GuardTM, composed of a proprietary aluminum extruded panel, provides depth ratings comparable to that of a steel trench shield at about a third the weight (see Exhibit … Read more

A contractor was performing a sanitary sewer line repair within a wastewater treatment plant in Southwest Florida. The repair required a 16’ linear run, with a width of 20’ and an excavation depth of 11’. The contractor’s Competent Person had classified the soil as type C-60 sandy mixture. The contractor’s primary consideration in selecting a … Read more

The contractor was installing sanitary sewer pipe in a Gulf Coast Florida city as part of an eventual road expansion project.  The project comprised several open trench/cut linear runs ranging from 40’ to about 196’, all with varying widths.  The contractor’s Competent Person had classified the soil as a Type C soil composed of a … Read more

A contractor was performing a grease trap system installation in Northeastern Illinois. The new installation required a 16-ft linear run, with a width of 12-ft and an excavation depth of 18-ft. The competent person on site had classified the soil as a Type C-60 consisting of a sandy soil mixture. The site conditions for this … Read more

A contractor was performing a storm drain drop inlet installation in Southeast Nevada. The new installation required a 10-ft linear run, with a width of 10-ft and an excavation depth of 12-ft. The contractor’s competent person on site classified the soil as Type-B. The contractor would be addressing a line that needed to cross into … Read more

A Southwest Florida municipality was expanding its highway infrastructure with a lane widening project to account for recent growth.  As part of that highway widening project, the municipality also needed to upgrade the supporting storm water system. The storm water phase of the project included the installation of a storm water box culvert along with … Read more

A contractor had been engaged to pour a cast-in-place foundation for a chemical injection building in Southeast North Carolina. The job required a 75 ft linear run, with a width of 10 ft and an excavation depth of 12 ft. The competent person on site had classified the soil as Type C-80 consisting of silty … Read more