Excavation is any man-made cut on earth by removing soil.

It is an essential & major part of

construction activities and one of the most hazardous also. Many killed during excavation due to
Cave In, bogged down of machine, fall of material & contact with underground services.

Hazards associated with excavation:

*ave in or collapse of soil

* Risk due to presence of underground installations, pipelines, cables.
* Drowning due to water seepage into trench.
* Soil vibration due to machinery / heavy vehicles operations in the vicinity.
* Lack of Oxygen or asphyxiation etc.
* Underground obstruction or damage to buried pipelines & services
* Accidental fall of personnel or equipment inside a trench
* Struck / hit by excavating machinery
* Dropped / falling objects
* Flammable & / or toxic gas release
* Exposed to airborne contaminants
* Fire & explosion
* Electrical shock due to contact with energized electrical / telecom cable.
* Possible presence of explosive devices
* Damage to shallow underground services due to weight of heavy equipment such
as mechanical excavator.
* Encountering wet soil (mixed with water) or reaching water table.
* Encountering contaminated soil

Excavation confined space:

Where ever the depth of excavation is more than 1.2 meters shall be treated as confined space
because of restricted means of ingress & egress and that is also not designed for normal occupancy.
Obtain confined space permit and fulfill its requirements.

Method of excavation:

1. Manual

2. Mechanized excavation by excavators

Decide method of excavation considering the following:

Type of soil which is to be excavated.

Ground stability.

Chance of seepage of water.

Excavation won’t affect the adjoining building.

Presence of hydrocarbon, utility lines & electrical, telephone cables.

Soil Classification for excavation:

Soil can be classified by visual or manual test

Manual analysis of soil sample is conducted to determine qualitative properties of soil, these are:

 Plasticity
  Dry strength

 Thumb penetration

 Drying test

Here the soil is classified based on unconfined compressive strength that can be determined by a
Thumb penetration test, use of pocket penetrometer or Vane shear test.

Excavation Trench:

Any excavation in the ground where the depth of excavation exceeds the width (width no wider than
4.5 meters) and depth is more than 1.5m.

Trenching is one of the most hazardous construction operations that pose the greatest risk of a cave-
in that claimed many lives every year. It requires a protective system against cave-in or soil collapse.

There are two types of protective systems are available sloping & shoring, the selection will
depend on soil type & site feasibility.

Excavation Shoring/Shuttering:

Installing metal sheets or wooden planks with jacks or support against the wall of trench to prevent
cave-in or soil collapse. The trench box can also be used.

Shoring can be done in different ways (i.e. Timber, Hydraulic shoring, shielding or trench box) based
on soil condition or trench depth.

Sloping in Excavation:

If enough space is available, sloping or benching the trench will be providing greater protection
against cave-ins or soil collapse without the use of any equipment.

It is a method of forming sides of an excavation that are inclined away from excavation so as to
prevent cave-ins.

Benching in Excavation:

There are two types of benching single or multiple & it shall be allowed in cohesive soil only.

Prerequisite for Excavation work:

1. Visit the location mark the site& prepare the plan.

2. Conduct job safety analysis or Hazard identification & risk analysis by a competent person
where ever required.

3. Access the requirement of machines & tools

4. Obtain work permits from authorized agencies & made available at the site.

5. Deploy skilled & competent workmen for a critical task.

6. Conduct toolbox talk before starting the job.

Tools box Talk on Excavation Safety:

1. Give a brief introduction about the job, machine & equipment’s to be used
2. Hazards involve in work
 3. Required PPEs
4. Details of rescue & evacuation plan

Safety Rules during excavations:

Rule no 1: Don’t leave the open pit, trench, and excavation site unguarded provide soft/hard
barricading, place caution boards & provide warning lamps during darkness.

Rule no 2: Barricade at 1m height (with red & white band self-glowing caution board)
for excavation beyond 1m depth.

Rule no 3: Provide two entry/exit for excavation beyond 1m depth, travel distance from any point of
excavated area to ladder shall not be more than 10 meters.

Rule no 4:Provide safe angle of response 45˚ else shoring/Sloping

Rule no 5:0.5m width bench at every 1.5m of a deep excavation trench.

Rule no 6:Dump excavated earth/Soil min. 1m away from the lip of trench/excavation site.

Rule no 7:Don’t allow vehicle movement at least 2m from the edge of excavation/trench.

Rule no 8:Avoid excavation during rain.

Rule no 9: All cutting should be carried out from top to bottom, in case of undercutting extra
protection must be taken (i.e. Tunnel).

Rule no 10:When mechanized excavator not in operation the machine shall be kept on firmed level
ground with mechanical excavator resting on the ground. Wheel or belt shall be suitably jammed to
avert any accidental movement.

Rule no 11:Provide protection against protruding rebars by using rebar caps.

Enlist precaution to be taken prior to taken to and during excavation

work?

 No excavation work in KOC area without clearance of Explosive Ordinance

Disposal (EOD).

 No mechanical excavation closer than 5 meters to any hydrocarbon carrying

pipeline.

 No mechanical excavation closer than 3 meter to a non-hydrocarbon carrying

pipeline, cables and services.

 For any excavation deeper than 1m, ladder must be positioned projecting
minimum 1 meter above the edge of the excavations.

 Ladders shall be provided every 7.5 meters (25 feet) of lateral travel in the trench.

 Ladders shall be securely supported at the bottom as well as at the top.

 Excavated material shall be placed 1m from the edge of the excavation for depth
up to 1.2 meter.
(Accordingly placement of excavated material shall be increased proportion to the
depth of excavation.)

 Heavy equipment, machinery shall be kept at least 3 meters away from the edge.
 Any walkway across trench shall have scaffold type platform with handrails.

 All trenches shall have barrier (such as fixed guardrails) and reflective warning
notices clearly displayed. Flashing lights are mandatory during poor visibility.

 The access to plant, equipment and emergency services must not be obstructed by
the trenches.

 No mechanical excavation is allowed inside the existing KOC facilities (Gathering

Center, Booster Station, water injection and handling facilities, etc.)