Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria

FEBRUARY, 2021 DOCUMENT NUMBER

SSG-CW269131-OPUC1-AA5760-00001

Classification Status:
Restricted

SOUTHERN SWAMP ASSOCIATED GAS SOLUTION (SSAGS)

PROJECT

COMMUNITY ELECTRIFICATION INTERDEPENDENCY

PROJECT (CEIP) OGBOTOBO GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION NODE

METHOD STATEMENT FOR

CABLE TRENCH EXCAVATION
Proprietary Information: This document contains proprietary information and may not be partly or wholly reproduced without prior
written permission from Shell Petroleum Development Company

Revision Date Description Originator Checker Approver

R01 23-FEB-2021 Issued for Review Isagua.J Nwofor.O Ogbonnaya.M

PIMO Services Limited

ADDITIONAL AGREEMENT/APPROVAL RECORD

Party Ref Ind. Name Sign Date

Revision Philosophy
 Revisions for review will be issued at R01, with subsequent R02, R03, etc as required.
 All revisions approved for issue or design will be issued at A01, with subsequent A02, A03, etc as
required.
 Documents approved for Construction will be issued at C01, C02, C03, etc as required
 Documents or drawings revised as “As built” will be issued as Z01, Z02 Z03 etc as required
 Narrative sections revised from previous approved issues are to be noted in the table PSL low and/or
highlighted in the RH margin (using the appropriate revision status) thus: A02
 Previous revision highlighting to be removed at subsequent issues.
 Drawings/diagrams revised from previous approved issues are highlighted by 'clouding' the affected
areas and by the use of a triangle containing the revision status.
 If a document is cancelled the document will be issued at the next sequential number and suffixed with
a X. For example, if 02R is the current revision then 03X will be the Cancelled revision
 All revisions to this document must be approved by the relevant Technical authority

Revision History

Revision No. Date of issue Document ID/Reason for change

R01 23-FEB-2021 Issued for review

 CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION 3

1.1 Objective 3

2.0 EXCAVATION PLAN 3

2.1 SCANNING AND PROBING 3

2.2 DEWATERING 3

2.3 EXCAVATION 4

2.4 SHORING 4

2.5 SAFE EXIT AND ACCESS 4

2.6 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS 4

2.7 MATERIALS STACKING 5

2.8 BACKFILL AND INSTALLATION OF RED SLABS
1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Objective
The Excavation Plan outlines how the excavation of the cable trench and pole
foundation will be carried out. It outlines all the requirement that must be met before
excavation can commence.
The excavation plan is in adherence to SPDC approved excavation procedure as shown
below.

2.0 EXCAVATION PLAN

The cable trench excavation will be 1m wide, 1m deep as stipulated in SPDC standard
Construction Specification (SCS 17.5.2.1). The cable trench will primary link from the
gas Generator to the E-House packaged Switchgear room.

The following activities will be carried out as detailed below;

2.1 SCANNING AND PROBING

A.
Scanning and probing of the cable route area to identify all known and unknown
underground structures shall be completed by PIMO SERVICES LTD with support
from SPDC Ogbotobo Operations/Asset Team before commencement of any other
work on site. The outcome of this will be a scanning and probing report showing
area of any underground facility.

2.2 DEWATERING
All dewatering activities shall comply with PIMO SERVICES LTD dewatering method
statement.
 Surface dewatering pumps shall be used to lower the accumulated water within
the trench during excavation.
 All pumps shall be placed at least 1.5m away from the edge of the excavation.
 Water ingress/egress shall be controlled by continuous dewatering.
 Dewatering shall continue till the project supervisor ascertains that the base is
safe to receive cable and that there are no evidences of impending collapse in
the excavation.

2.3 EXCAVATION
 The entire excavation operation shall be directed and supervised by the project
Civil Construction lead as the authorized Person (AP).He is conversant with
SPDC excavation procedure, knowledgeable in soil analysis and is trained in
excavation hazard management and protective systems. He shall work in
conjunction with the project QA/QC Engineer and SPDC Civil Supervisor.
  They shall be responsible for obtaining an approved PTW from SPDC before
excavation can commence.
 Peg out the dimensions of the cable trench excavation portion.
 Carry out possible re-routing of water /telecoms/sewage/electrical under ground
facilities, where route can not be diverted.
 Ensure all competent excavation personnels are adequately kitted with insulated
tools and rubber PPE’s

2.4 SHORING
Shoring of the excavation trench shall be done in phases. At a depth of
500mm(0.5m), the first level of shoring will be done with the materials being
provided i.e (1x12” facials boards and 2x3”hardwood planks). As the excavation
continues, the shoring material will be lowered and additional materials will be added
at the top. This operation will continue till the proposed depth is attained, then all the
materials will be fastened together at the 4 corners of the trench with nails.

Excavation will progress thus

 Excavation shall be carried out manually with the use of hand tools and shoring
shall commence as the excavation reaches a depth of 500mm
 All spoils shall be deposited at least 5m away from the edge of the trench.
 Excavation will commence only when confirmation of the availability or non-
availability of all underground facilities has being made known.
 Excavation shall be evacuated during and immediately after rains, workers will
enter into the excavation only after rains and the project supervisor inspects the
excavation to be safe.
 All approved backfill materials (sharp sand, cable route markers, cable
slabs/tiles/warning tapes etc) must be made available on site before completion
of trench works.
 Cables will be laid using the approved cable laying work method statement.
 After the cable laying activities, the trench shall be inspected by the Civil
Construction lead and QAQC team.
 At the end of the cable trench excavation/cable laying, all vegetations or debris
will be properly segregated and removed from site

2.5 SAFE EXIT AND ACCESS

 Access into the cable trench shall be controlled by the HSE officer and access
granted only to personnel required for the performance of the work.
 Safe access/egress ladder for excavations shall be provided.
2.6 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
 The project Civil Construction lead will be the first to enter the excavation, to
ascertain that the base is safe and there is no evidence of impending collapse in
the excavation. He also checks the excavation for tell-tale signs of collapse (or
distress) every hour and records his observation on the periodic excavation
inspection sheet.
 Excavation area shall be barricaded and cordoned to control and restrict access
only to personnel required for the performance of the work.
 Clear safety signs shall be placed around the work areas to indicate excavation
activity and associated hazards.
 Access shall be provided by a ladder and adequately secured.
 All equipment shall be positioned at a safe distance with a minimum of 1.5m from
the edge of trench.
 An authorized person shall be present during all excavation works and keep
proper records of all inspections.
 Carry out continuous gas testing.

2.6.1 Personal Protection Equipment:

1. Earing protection, Ear Muff or Plugs. (If Required)

2. Helmet, Hard-Hat.
3. Hand Gloves (Rubber insulated up to 5Kv)
4. Dust Mask respiratory protection.
5. Glasses splinter proof.
6. Safety Shoes.

2.6.2 TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

The following tools will be used/deployed for the activities.

- Insulated shovels & wheel barrows.

- Proper and adequate PPEs.

- Safety barriers and adequate warning signs.

- Wooden embackments (for shoring protection) if required.

- Adequately rated and inspected self powered diesel water pumps

- Fire extinguishers

- Gas tester.
 - Underground cable/metal detector.
.

2.7 MATERIALS STACKING

All materials to be used for the entire excavation operation shall be purchased,
conveyed and stored in a provided facility which is about 5m away from the excavation
site. Workmen shall be required to move any needed material from the facility to the site
and return same if unused. No unused material shall be left on site during or after the
days operation.

2.8 BACKFILL AND INSTALLATION OF RED SLABS

After the cable has being laid, the ditch shall be backfilled with sharp sand. RED
reinforced concrete slabs shall be installed.
Tiles shall be laid end to end and where necessary side by side so as to form a
continuous cover which should extend at least 50 mm beyond the outer edges of the
cables