Site Excavation

What Is Site Excavation?

Site excavation is a process in which soil, rock, and other materials are removed from a
site, typically with the use of heavy earthmoving equipment such as excavators and
bulldozers. There are a number of reasons to conduct a site excavation, ranging from a
desire to explore a site to learn more about its archaeological history to an environmental
remediation project. Depending on the purpose of a site excavation, it may be conducted
and supervised by various professionals.

During new construction on

buildings, roads, and other
structures, site excavation is
one of the earliest stages.
The site is excavated to
create a level, clean area to
work, with the foundations
being established in the
excavated area. A site may
also be excavated and
backfilled to confirm that the
material directly under the
site is of high quality. The
depth of site excavation can
vary, depending on what is
being built and where the
building is occurring.

Archaeological excavation involves the painstaking removal of material in layers, with

material being sifted and carefully examined for objects of historical interest. Excavation
can be used to uncover structures which have been buried over time, to examine burial
sites, to look through former settlements, and in many other types of archaeological and
paleontological activities. Additionally, before building excavation can begin in some
regions of the world, an archaeological investigation may be required to confirm that
building will not damage or compromise material of archaeological importance, to
remove material of archaeological interest, or to comply with laws surrounding native
and historic burial sites.

Environmental remediation can also involve site excavation. If soil is contaminated, it

may be necessary to remove it and backfill with clean soil. The excavated soil can be
disposed of in a facility which handles contaminated materials. Site excavation can also
be used to prepare a site for sequestration of contaminated materials, with the excavation
being outfitted with liners to prevent seepage.

Some construction firms specialize in site excavation. These firms have an assortment of
specialized equipment and crews which can handle a wide variety of types of
excavations, dealing with everything from construction supports to prevent collapse of
side walls to organizing the safe removal of excavated material. Hiring such a firm
usually ensures that the excavation is conducted safely and competently, reducing the risk
of problems at the site in the future. For archaeological excavation of proposed building
sites, specialized firms provide archaeology consulting services including excavation and
site evaluation.

Is excavation safe?
Excavation can safely remove most types of polluted soil from a site. However, certain
types of harmful chemicals require special safety precautions. For example, some
chemicals may evaporate, or change into gases. To prevent the release of gases to the air,
site workers may coat the ground with foam or draw the vapor into gas wells. Other
chemicals, like acids and explosives, also require special handling and protective clothing
to reduce the danger to site workers.

How long will it take?

Excavating polluted soil may take as little as one day or as long as several months.
Cleaning the soil may take much longer. The total time it takes to excavate and clean up
soil depends on several factors:
 types and amounts of harmful chemicals present
 size and depth of the polluted area
 type of soil
 amount of moisture in the polluted soil (wet soil slows the process)

What are the Basic Pieces of Site Equipment on a Project?

• The Bulldozer is a simple, versatile machine that has a tremendous number of uses.
Generally a self-propelled track machine, the bulldozer pushes or pulls only. Conversely,
a front end loader uses a front bucket 10 lift soils 1(/ load a truck. The Bulldozer uses
include:
1. Clearing and grubbing
2. Grading earth for short haul distances,
3. Pushing scraper pans
4. Ripping rock
 5. Spreading borrow fill
6. General site maintenance

The sizes of bulldozers vary greatly from small machines that use 6-way tilt blades for
fine grading to huge machines that need special permits to be hauled over bridges

 The Front - end Loader is another

versatile piece of equipment, found on
most projects at one time or another.
Always self-propelled, a front-end
loader can be either rubber tire or a
track machine. A front-end loader has a
front bucket that tilts vertically to load
and unload and lifts vertically. The
front-end loader uses include:

1. Clearing and grubbing

2. Excavate and carry soil
3. Excavate and load soil into a truck
4. Grading and spreading borrow
(although less ideal then a bulldozer)
5. On-site material transport (rebar, pumps, etc.)
Particular attention should be paid when a front-end loader excavates and loads soil onto
a truck. The loading cycle time can be simply analyzed, possibly improved, and also used
to predict production quantities for planning decisions.

 Scrapers or Pans excavate soil in one location, haul and dump the soil in another
spot. It is difficult to match the efficiency of scrapers for cut/fill soil operation if
the haul distance is less then a mile. Scrapers are generally pulled by a rubber tire
wheel tractor and are sometimes pushed through the cut area by a bulldozer.
 Compaction Equipment increases the
density of the soil and in some cases
provides a smooth, rolled surface.
Compactors achieve these results by either
static weights or vibration. Care must be
taken when using a vibrating compactor
concerning nearby structures and pumping
excess water up through the soil. The
vibrations can literally causes nearby
buildings to fall down. The compactor
surface that touches the soil can be
classified as either steel drum, pneumatic
rubber-tired, or sheepsfoot. Compactors can
be either self-propelled or towed. These
web links show equipment specifications
for several common compactors.

 Hydraulic Excavators are extremely useful machines for both bulk excavation
and trench excavation. Usually self-propelled on tracks, excavators operate
hydraulically. The cable driven power shovels are the forerunner of the modern
day excavator. These web links show equipment specifications for several
common hydraulic excavators.
Excavation Safety
 Excavation Hazards
1. Excavation Collapse
2. Excavation Flood
3. Excavation as Confined Space (more than 1.2 m deep)
4. Materials Falling into Excavations
5. People and Vehicles Falling into Excavations
6. Destroying Nearby Structures
7. Destroying underground services
 General Safety Measures
1. Conduct risk assessment of the task
2. Wear the proper PPE
3. Acquire the proper PTW if needed
4. Post adequate Warning signs and physical barricades
5. Prepare proper Access / Egress
6. Be prepared for emergencies
7. All excavations shall be inspected by a competent person before personnel
can enter
8. Do not enter an excavation if you believe it poses a HAZARD

 Safety Measures
1. A Task Specific Risk Assessment shall be conducted for all personnel
entries into open excavations.
2. Where an excavation exceeds 1.2 meters/4 feet in depth, a Permit to work
& Confined Space Entry Certificate shall be required
3. Employees shall not work in excavations, in which water has accumulated,
Unless adequate precautions have been taken to protect employees against
The hazards posed by water accumulation
4. A stairway, ladder, ramp or other safe means of access or egress shall be
provided in all trenches that are 4 feet (1.2.meter) or more in depth, and
shall be positioned at intervals of 25 feet maximum lateral travel for
employees.
5. Ladders shall extend a minimum of 1 meter above ground level and be
secured at the top and placed so as to avoid damage from plant movement
or material handling.
6. A minimum of two access and egress points shall be provided for all
excavations
7. Double guardrail shall be provided on all walkways, ramps or bridges
where employees are required or permitted to cross over excavation or
trenches Safety Measures; Equipment
8. Equipment and materials shall be kept at a safe distance from the edge of
an excavation and suitably secured to prevent it from toppling into the
excavation (minimum 1m from the edge of an excavation).
9. Equipment shall be positioned, or have their exhaust systems routed to, a
safe distance to prevent the products of combustion.