Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shielding
Shielding
and Excavation Operations
SHIELDING SYSTEMS
Objectives
Upon completion of this section, the participant should be able to:
1. Understand the advantages and limitations of shield systems.
2. Know when workers are required to evacuate the shield.
3. Identify different types of shield systems and describe their
installation and use in various types of soil.
SHIELDING SYSTEMS
Shielding systems are probably the most frequently used form of trench
protection. They offer excellent protection that can be quickly put in place with a
minimum of disruption of the area surrounding the trench.
The shield must be able to withstand the potential stresses placed upon it
and must be installed in a way, which prevents lateral movement during an
impact. The strength of the shield system and the depths to which is can be
used in various soil types should be documented upon an accompanying
tabulated data sheet. An example of this type of tabulated data is included in the
Supplemental Materials section of this text. This sheet should come from either
the manufacturer or a Registered Professional Engineer. This data must be on
the job site during the use of the shield.
It is very important that the shield system be assembled and used in
conformance with the manufacturer's or Registered Professional Engineer's
direction. The use of job built shield systems is permitted if it has been designed
by a RPE or is in compliance with tabulated data approved by a RPE.
The way the trench box is installed and moved varies with the soil type. In
TYPE A soil, the trench is dug and the shield is lowered in. As the trench is
lengthened, the shield is pulled horizontally down the trench. As the shield is
moved, the area where the work is completed should be immediately backfilled.
Workers must exit the shield when it is being installed, removed, moved
vertically, or when loads are being moved above or within the shield. They may
remain within the shield if it is moved horizontally however. Most trench shields
are relatively short. They can be stacked to accommodate deeper trenches if
they have been designed to do so.
The shield must have the rated strength for the depth that it is being used
at. Preexisting linking holes or mechanisms must be used to stack and secure
shield systems together. NEVER DRILL HOLES IN SHIELDING SYSTEMS TO
FACILITATE BOLTING THEM TOGETHER.
As we shall see in the next section, sloping angles are dependent upon
soil type even if shielding systems are being used. This wall above the slope toe
will prevent soil or any other material from entering the shield enclosure. If a
vertical cut is made, the shield must extend only to the top of the trench.
Adequate egress systems must be provided to allow for entry into the shield
system. Workers must not enter an unprotected area of the trench in order to
reach their means of egress. Secured ladders must be spaced so that a worker
does not have to go any farther than 25 feet laterally in order to reach a ladder.
Remember that climbing on the shield supports is not an acceptable means of
egress.
Workers may excavate the bottom of the trench to a depth, which is not
greater than 2 feet below the bottom of the shield if the shield is rated for the
entire depth and there is no sign of soil loss from the sides or bottom.
When shielding systems are damaged, they need to be repaired and
inspected before being returned to service. If repairs are minor or cosmetic and
the structural integrity of the shield is unaffected, the competent person can
approve the shield's return to service. If structural repair is made, a Registered
Professional Engineer must evaluate these repairs before the shield is returned
to service.