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Posted By colin james clark
Hi All,
I am on-site at the moment working with the civil contractors,we are currently digging trial holes under the CDM Regs (which by the way gives exelent guidance.)
Bearing in mind the Working At Height Regulations,we are digging no more that 1.5 meters.
so here is my question.
Best practice would be to dig steps into the excavations however, due to the rainy weather is there any suggestions or any thing on the market that we could use and put forward as a best practice,there is no need to shore the sides as we have risk assessed and asked our engineer to inspect and record the conditions daily.I would like to avoid putting in a temporary wooden step.
Thank you in advance for any comments.
Colin
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Posted By Vrick
Colin
Since the environment has changed, there must be something which will change in your RA. The soil condition will not be the same;
In my opinion it follows that soil saturation with water will cause its easier displacement/movement and therefore the risk of the sideways collapsing increases.
So to prevent any accident/incident, shoring would be the best practice unless lab tests have been carried out to shows that the rainwater does not have any effect on the soil.
members fro specialist branch may still supplement what I'm contributing.
Vrick
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Posted By Bob Youel
you are 'working at height' if you are standing on the edge of an excavation / an excavation is a confined space if you are in it [obviously depending on the situation] and people have died in less than 1.5!
Just some ideas for your R-Assessment
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Posted By Ron Hunter
What is the purpose of the excavation?
Are persons expected to enter it?
Is edge protection provided appropriate to the conditions and machinery and plant in use?
Is the excavation secured or covered to prevent inadvertant access?
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By colin james clark
Hi All,
As I have stated the excavation is in its self suitable as a trial hole and has been risk assessed.
The question is is there anything on the market to safely access and egress the trial as this is no more than 1.5 Meters.
Colin
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Posted By Bob Youel
you have provided the depth but what about the length/width as they are important factors as is the soil type
There are all kinds of bespoke shuttering systems on the market and some that are specially designed for cemeteries are especially good for smaller areas noting that you cannot have the same cross supports when tackling a coffin than you can have in an average hole
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Posted By steve hardcastle
ground force et al provide a range of different size trench boxes, access/egress can then be attached to the trench box. bit confused by the original post, an unstepped/unbattered back 1.5 M excavation that has been RA'd as suitable for entry? 500mm could easily break and ankle/leg!
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By steve hardcastle
ground force et al provide a range of different size trench boxes, access/egress can then be attached to the trench box. bit confused by the original post, an unstepped/unbattered back 1.5 M excavation that has been RA'd as suitable for entry? 500mm could easily break and ankle/leg!
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Posted By Ron Hunter
Unless the sides are themselves sloped or battered you need a trench box. Even at this depth there is a risk of entrapment.
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