Method statement:

Trenching, putting pipes in place, backfilling,

testing

By Laurent Dosin – Hydrogaz

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 I. Introduction

1. Purpose
This method statement will describe the process of trenching, putting the pipes in place, backfilling
and testing the network. It gives all de details for the materials used and the safety and Health
procedures.

2. Scope of work
Utility repair project: new network of Domestic water, fire protection and sanitary sewer system

3. Calendar :
The work is planned from April 2022 to December 2023.

4. Location of work :
The networks of piping are loops around the
airstrips

5. Responsibility :
Company Function Name Contact
BBGS Site superintendent David Delattre d.delattre@bbgs.eu
BBGS QC Fabrice Cambier f.cambier@bbgs.eu
BBGS SSHO Bogdan Radu b.radu@bbgs.eu
BBGS Project manager Frank Durodie f.durodie@bbgs.eu
Hydrogaz Technical Site Steven Steven.Forthomme@hydrogaz.be
manager Forthomme
Hydrogaz administrative site Laurent Dosin Laurent.dosin@agap2.be
manager
Hydrogaz Prevention advisor France Micheli france.micheli@hydrogaz.be
Hydrogaz Works supervisor

- The works supervisor and the site superintendent have to ensure that this method
statement is followed during the construction.
- The issues must be reported by the works supervisor to the site superintendent.
- The machine’s documents have to be checked by the administrative site manager and
the SSHO before work.
- Site superintendent/works supervisor/Foreman with the SSHO must identify existing
hazards or unsanitary condition on site and find a solution to eliminate/improve it.

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 - The SSHO will:

a. Conduct safety and health inspections during every visit to the project site. Inspections
shall be conducted daily.
b. For every inspection, document in the Safety narrative of the QC Report the feature of
work inspected, relevant safety observations, identified hazards, recommended corrective
actions, estimated and actual dates of corrections.
c. Maintain the Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) Deficiency Tracking System described
in paragraph 1.11.2.
d. Conduct mishap investigations and complete required accident reports. Report mishaps
and near misses.
e. Maintain applicable safety reference material on the job site.
f. Attend the pre-construction conference, pre-work meetings including preparatory
meetings, and periodic in-progress meetings.
g. Review the APP and AHA's for compliance with EM 385-1-1, and approve, sign, implement
and enforce them.
h. Ensure subcontractor compliance with safety and health requirements.
i. Provide and keep a record of site safety orientation and indoctrination for Contractor

- The QC is responsible for Inspecting, monitoring and ensuring that works are carried
out to the approved work plan, the Government Quality procedure and the
specifications.
- The QC also ensures that all submissions and activities subject to formal inspection
are accepted by the Government and recorded as such.
- A meeting is planned with every involved persons (client, super site intendent BBGS,
HES BBGS, QC manager BBGS, site managers De Waal Solid Foundations NV, workers
Hydrogaz) before de beginning of each new activity. The method statement and
work’s specifications are exposed.

6. Teams :
There will be 2 of 3 teams of 4-5 people in the same time on site. There is always a Foreman present
in each team. The workers are specialized in piping and minimum 2 in each team is trained to drive
the machines

Team 1 Team 2 (Team 3)

7. Schedule :
Refer to the site rules attached

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The day of work begin at 7am and end at 5pm. The lunch pause is planned around noon.

The latecomers have to contact the site supervisor to prevent.

The site area is located on a military base. Please be aware of the regulations that apply on the site.
As always, be helpful and friendly and avoid discussions. Report complaints to the site manager
immediately.

Cars are parked in the carpark discussed on the preparatory meeting.

If there is no site manager present at the site, all work must be stopped.

II. Resources

1. Machines :

- Excavator (20 and 15t) : (the photos are examples, the machines might change)

- Bulldozer

2. Tools :

- Padfoot Compactor

- Ball floor compactor

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 - Jackhammer
- Laser levels
- Small tools eg. Markers, Strings, cutters, Spatulas, Hammers, Wrenches etc.
- Utility cable detector

- Floor saw (to cut ashlate) :

3. Deliveries :
The foreman will escort the deliveries from the gate to the stock area and for the way back.
If it’s a dump truck, it will discharge itself on the place indicated by the foreman.

If it’s not a truck with crane, we will use the excavator as lifting machine to discharge the truck.
Refer to the lifting plan in attached.

The stock zone is not fixed. It will be fixed at each preparatory meeting before each section. The
deliveries’ planning will be fixed when the pipes’ material and the supplier will be known.

One possibility is to stock the pipes in 3-4 stocks on the site. A tractor with a trailer bring the pipes to
the construction area.

III. Health, safety and environment

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 1. PPE

The workers must always wear de PPE :

- Helmet
- Security glasses
- Safety jacket
- Working clothes
- Security gloves
- Security shoes.

2. Safety on site
A toolbox meeting will be done before every new activity or if an infraction is reported.

- Once a week is organized a toolbox meeting with all the workers by the SSHO for the safety
on site
- Only authorized equipment / personnel will be allowed within the working area
- All heavy equipment shall be maintained in good working condition as per maintenance
- General safety induction is provide to the workers at their first time on site
- Monthly meetings with the workers to discuss the good point and the “to improve” points.
- Reports for the incidents will be done and discussed between the contractor and the workers
- Conduct regular health and hygiene inspections.
- The trench will be protected with barricades at the end of each work day
- Electric, gas, water, or other services shall be isolated in case the works are too close or
directly impacted by these services.
- If necessary to maintain any power, water or other utilities during demolition works, such
lines are to be relocated and protected.
- Excavations shall be backfilled as soon as possible.
- If it is required to crossover excavations,
walkways or bridges shall be provided.

- Hot work permits shall be required when welding, cutting, or heating operations are
performed.
- A zone of 2m around the machines must be avoid by the workers.
- Ladders will be used on the trench for the access.
- If security problem : immediately contact the SSHO BBGS or the super site intendent BBGS. If
they are not reachable, stop the work until they give the start

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An AHA for all the activities will be done according to the template of BBGS.

3. Emergency
In case of emergency: The workers will call the emergency number 112, describe the situation, and
give the address and all the necessary informations to the rescue team. In case of cave-in or any kind
of situation where a worker is immobilized in the excavation pit (unconscious or unable to move),
special method of rescue will be provided by firemen of nearest fire department (Internal fire
department located within Chievres Air Base).
Every emergency has to be reported immediately to the superintendent or SSHO and the COR.
The work area will be cleared to permit safe access to the emergency vehicles.
The COR will be informed and a person will wait at the gate to lead the rescue team to the right
place.
The emergency procedure and contacts will be provide to the contractor by BBGS.

4. Environment
- Restricted speed of vehicles on off road shall be maintained to minimize dust generation.
- Dust mask shall be provided to workmen working in dusty zone. The employee shall be
instructed in the limitations and the correct method of wearing of the FFP2 masks.
- The sand for the work will be stocked far away from the occupied areas

- Noise control measures (PPE), Earplug / earmuff shall be provided to personnel working in
noisy area (exceeding or equal to 85dB).
- Equipment and plant are stopped when not in use to remove unnecessary noise
- Machinery and equipment are well maintained
- There is an area for the trash and the site must be clean every evening after the work.
- A waste container will be placed in the stock area and will be empty when needed.
- We will protect the trees conform with the salvage plan
- All the signage, concrete blocks, and other materials in the trenches’ way will be remove and
stock in the able storage area defined by salvage plan

IV. Procedures

a) Before the trenching

- Check if all the permits are conform
- Identify if other services are present and protect them
- Put necessary signage’s and fencing
- Use a metal detector on the way of the future trench before the works
- The surveyor place poles on the points where the network should pass.
- When the excavation approach the location of other underground utilities, the excavator will
progress slower and with caution.
- The precision work around the utilities is done with shovels by worker
b) Excavate the trench
- One excavator will remove the top layer of surface : 20cm
- This soil will be use as top layer of the backfilling : it is stocked in pile

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 - The excavator will next dig the trench and stock the soil on another pile.
- The excess soil will be moved out of the site
- Put the fencing around the trench
- Ensure that the trenches’ bottom is grade, compact and without stones
- The standard trench (if we have space around the trench) for 1 pipe and 2 pipes :

See refer to the technical specifications section 2, 02.02.06.01.01.1 and table E.5.1.2.2.1.A

Depth minimal for the water services in Belgium = 120cm

Diameter max of the pipes : 35cm

Layer of sand under pipes : 10cm

 120 + 35 +10 = 165cm depth minimum

If the trench have to be deeper : we add one or more steps. Each step has a height of maximum
50cm.

We don’t need to shore the trench with this method because the depth is limited to 120cm.

The trench will be approximately 7 meters long (length of 1 pipe). 2 Ladders will be put in the trench
at the 2 extremities and exceed the ground level of 1m.

If the trench has to be deeper than 1.2m and we have no space next the
trench to do steps, we will use a “box shoring”. That’s 2 steel sheets of
1,2m minimum (height depending on the trenches’ depth) separated by
steel shores. We place it in the trench around the connection between 2
pipes to protect the worker in the trench.

When the connection is ok, the worker get out of the trench, the
excavator pick the box and put it on the next connection.

Hydrogaz will send the technical sheet of the shoring.

(The picture is an example)

If we have big depth without space and an unstable soil, we can

use a sliding trench shoring system.

We have 3 to 5 panels placed in the soil. When we advance, the

excavator remove one panel and move it further in the trench.

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Hydrogaz will send the technical sheet of the shoring.

(The picture is an example)

For the section in asphalt: we cut the asphalt top layer with a Floor saw. We will stock the waste in
the able area. The under layers will be stocked if there are usable. If not, new foundation will be used
in backfilling.

c) Pipes laying
The excavator place a layer of 10cm of sand in the trench.

There is a worker in the trench to guide the machine.

The excavator will take a pipe with strips or chain in the stock and place it in the trench. The worker
put some lubricant on the end van the pipes. The machine push the pipe in the previous one and do
the connection between the pipes. The worker move to the next connection in the trench (if there is
shoring, the worker get out the trench, we move the shoring and he go back in the trench protected
by the shoring).

d) Connecting the pieces

Where special pieces have to be placed, 2 workers place the piece in the trench and fix it. For the
socket they just push it. And for the flanges they bolt them with a machine.

If we have to cut a pipe : first we check that we have the hot permit. We use a power cutter next the
trench. The worker is trained for using it and wear protection (special gloves and glasses). Next he
use a grinder on the edges.

e) Backfilling
The second excavator is 7-8m behind the first one. This machine will fill up the trench when the pipe
is placed and locked.

He put sand over the pipes (10cm above the top of the pipe). After that he put the soil stocked
(excavated) by 30cm layers. At each layer, a worker compact the soil with a padfoot compactor (see
technical sheet in attached).

We don’t put the last layer in place until the water tests are finished (if we have to dig again)

After the section is done and the test ok, we put back the last layer and we evacuate the extra
amount of soil.

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The section finished will be cleaned before leaving.

For the zones with asphalt : an under-layer (30 cm) of stabilized material will be place before the top-
layer of asphalt (10cm). We deliver this asphalt in a truck with a ben protected with a tarpaulin. The
excavator put it in the trench. We compact it with a ball floor compactor.

f) Test
The length for a test is minimum 500m in straight section (not more to spare water and a lot of time :
time to do the connections, fill in the pipes, drain the pipes, dry up the follow trench, …). If there are
multiple T-pieces, bends or others, the section can be shorter.

The section tested must be in soil to be weighted and avoid an uprising.

We place a flanged socket on the 2 ends of the section to test. There are holes (approximately 1 inch)
in the socket. In the first we connect the pressure machine and in the second the evacuation.

We fill in with water the section. The pipe will move a little.

The next day, we put the pressure of the test (see in the specifications) during 2 hours.

If all is ok, we open the evacuation and drain the water out of the section.

We remove the socket.

In the circulation zones : the signage are checked before leaving the area in accordance with the
traffic control plan.

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