Gaining Knowledge – Trench & Shoring Safety

The excavation shoring industry is consistently faced with the age-old challenges of working in unstable & changing soil conditions, managing groundwater, and protecting adjacent structures/utilities, while attempting to complete their work in a safe manner and remaining profitable. With projects getting progressively larger and more complicated, coupled with laws and specifications outlining very strict design, safety and submittal requirements, it takes extremely educated and experienced contractors to compete in today’s world.

DHC has always balanced their quest to provide excellent design services with being proactive in educating their customer base. With essentially every shoring project bringing a new set of conditions to the table, it presents an opportunity for our experienced engineers to discuss the potential challenges and shoring options available. It is critical that contractors at the front line of bidding, planning and performing this work, understand the risks and benefits of various approaches, as well as associated costs.

Over the years, DHC has educated thousands of contractors and engineers in the efficient solutions and newest technologies available in the shoring industry, as well as taught the basics of understanding borelogs, OSHA standards, railroad loading, surcharges, dewatering, deflection issues, and much more.

We’ve enjoyed taking our knowledge from designing shoring products, such as slide rail and trench shields for manufacturers, coupled with our experience preparing thousands of site specific plans, to develop cutting edge and complicated solutions to shoring project. Some examples include: standing trench shields vertical and designing removable spreaders to construct a 40’ x 40’ x 24’-deep pit, providing clearances necessary to construct a large cast in place concrete structure, or mixing hydraulic bracing systems with slide rail, in order to provide a hybrid solution for many projects.

Although we will always maintain our quest to spread knowledge throughout the industry in efforts to ensure safety and productivity advancements are made, please feel free to contact us directly to discuss any specific project you may have. If more detailed or extensive training is desired, we can discuss remote or in-person sessions. We are happy to provide support during the bid phase, or to answer clarification questions on tab data, project specs or anything else related to your job, free of charge. We look forward to helping the industry recognize shoring as a critical component of a successful project, worthy of careful planning and consideration, vs. the last min obstacle it has been traditionally viewed as.