What is open trenching?

Open trench excavation consists of digging down to and exposing the existing pipe, removing the existing pipe or a section of it, installing a new pipe or a section of new pipe, and then backfilling the trench. The work includes the following steps: Sawcut pavement and dig trench to install mainline sewer pipe.

What was used for protection in trenches?

Trench boxes are a common form of trench protection, providing strong walls and a frame that protect workers inside from cave-ins. An improperly constructed trench box, though, will not protect workers in the trench. If the spreader bars aren’t properly pinned, the walls can compress if the earth cave in.

What are the four types of trench protective systems in use?

In this article, we will discuss the four different protective systems described in OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P, “Excavations”: engineered design, timber shoring, shield systems, and sloping and benching. Each system has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

How deep can trenches be without protection?

5 feet
Trenches 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep or greater require a protective system unless the excavation is made entirely in stable rock. If less than 5 feet deep, a competent person may determine that a protective system is not required.

What is open trench pipe laying?

Open-trench pipe-laying To start with, a trench is excavated along the planned pipeline route. If the in-situ soil does not offer a suitable pipe bed, the trench is deepened and bedded. The pipes can then be lowered into the trench as a welded pipe string.

What is Open cut?

: with the surface exposed to the air or worked from the exposed surface an opencut iron mine a copper mine worked opencut.

What are the three protective system for trenches?

OSHA identifies three basic types of protective systems: shielding (devices designed to protect workers in the event of a collapse, such as trench boxes); shoring (bracing designed to prevent collapse, such as hydraulic shoring or slide-rail systems); and sloping or benching trench walls away from the trench bottom at …

What are the three main protection methods?

Three Primary Protection Methods In Excavation: Sloping, Shoring, And Shielding

• Sloping involves cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excavation.
• Shoring requires installing aluminum hydraulic or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins.

Is an open trench a confined space?

Trenches are not considered confined spaces based on the risk of structural collapse alone, but will be confined spaces if they potentially contain concentrations of airborne contaminants that may cause impairment, loss of consciousness or asphyxiation.

What is open cut pipe installation?

Open cut is the use of open trench excavation to facilitate the installation of new structures or systems, including repair or replacement of a pipe, conduit, or cable. The excavation is then backfilled and the surface restored.

What does open cut mean?

Definition of opencut (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a mine working in which excavation is performed from the surface — compare strip mine. 2 : a trench for the passage of a roadway or railway through an obstruction (as a hill) —distinguished from tunnel.