FreeConstruction · Earthworks

Trench volume and protection check

Excavation volume for a shored or sloped trench and the OSHA protective-system triggers.

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Your numbers

Trench length (ft)Length of trench.Depth (ft)Average depth from grade to bottom.Bottom width (ft)Pipe OD plus working room on each side.Soil type (OSHA)Classified by the competent person (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P Appendix A).

For the trench sheet7 more, filled with typical values

Pipe outside diameter (in)Outside diameter of the pipe or conduit. 0 for a trench with no pipe.Bedding under the pipe (in)Stone or sand under the pipe, from the pipe spec or the detail.Initial backfill over the pipe (in)Select material placed and compacted above the crown before general backfill.Spoil swell (%)How much the dug soil bulks up: common earth about 25%.Crew progress (ft per day)Feet of trench dug, laid and backfilled in a day.Trench box length (ft)Length of the shield, if you use one. Each move advances the work by this much.Water in the trenchSeeping or standing water makes the soil Type C for sloping.

Trench volume and protection checkForge by Norventus

How it works

Press Calculate to see the trench volume, sloped and boxed, and the protection it needs.

Spoil: the dug volume, set back from the edgeTrench, box, pipe and ladderThe drawing follows your numbers as you type: a deeper or wider cut, more grade stakes for a longer run. Press Calculate and the walls lie back at the slope for your soil and the spoil is heaped on the far bank; the volumes, sloped and boxed, and the protection the trench needs appear here, worked out by the tool.

Result

Ready when you are.Enter your numbers and press Calculate.

References

Check the work against these

Pipe-zone and backfill quantities, spoil and trench-box moves, a protection checklist with ladders and inspections, and the days to lay it, with the OSHA sources. Numbers in the result and in the plain-words read point here.

1
29 CFR 1926.651, Specific excavation requirementsCode
OSHA
Locate utilities before digging; a ladder, stair or ramp in trenches 4 ft or deeper within 25 ft of lateral travel; air testing over 4 ft where a hazardous atmosphere could exist; spoil at least 2 ft back; daily inspection by a competent person.
2
29 CFR 1926.652, Requirements for protective systemsCode
OSHA
Cave-in protection is required except in stable rock or under 5 ft with no sign of a cave-in; tabulated data for shoring and shields stays on site; designs beyond the appendices need a registered engineer.
3
Appendix A to Subpart P of Part 1926, Soil classificationCode
OSHA
How the competent person classifies stable rock and Types A, B and C, the visual and manual tests, and why submerged soil or freely seeping soil is Type C.
4
Appendix B to Subpart P of Part 1926, Sloping and benchingCode
OSHA
Table B-1 maximum allowable slopes for excavations under 20 ft (Type A 3/4:1, Type B 1:1, Type C 1-1/2:1), and flatter slopes where there are signs of distress or surcharge loads.
5
Trenching and Excavation Safety fact sheetHandout
OSHA
A one-page crew briefing: protective systems from 5 ft, engineer design from 20 ft, access and egress, inspections and the main hazards.
6
Call Before You Dig (811)Guide
US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Call 811 before any digging so utilities are marked; state one-call laws set the notice period, often 48 to 72 hours.

Your history with this tool

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Every result you calculate is kept here, so you can open yesterday's numbers on the next job. It stays on this device; use Save to My work to keep a result in your account.

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Go deeper

When this answer isn't the whole job

Pro sheetPremiumCompaction lifts and roller timeNumber of lifts, roller passes and hours to compact a fill area.In the role plan · see an example →Pro sheetPremiumCut and fill volume (average end area)Cut, fill and net earthwork between cross-sections using the average end area method.In the role plan · see an example →

Used by

Plumber Equipment operator Foreman and site lead Laborer Civil engineer

Trench volume and protection check

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Result

Check the work against these

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