By battering back or stepping an excavation, the likelihood of an accident is reduced significantly, provided the correct angles are maintained.

All soils have a safe angle of repose and under normal conditions should be self-supporting. Safe angles of different soils and materials are likely to be: Wet earth 502 Drained clay or rubble 453 Gravel 404 Shingle 395 Dry sand 386 Dry earth 287 Gravel with sand 258 Wet sand 229 Wet clay 1

Underpinning Works This type of excavation has the risks that the structure being underpinned may collapse and the working space available is often restricted. Good excavation principles must be followed at all times, but depending on nature and size of the excavation it may be necessary to limit the amount of material removed. Special consideration is required during the design stage, as the support material may have to be concreted-in . Normally, the underpinning is completed in blocks of four to maintain stability to the structure. Only competent operatives, experienced and trained in this type of work, should Be allowed to undertake it