stumpjumper83
Senior Member
looks like a good ditch to me, fmd, you need to get out a little and see what a class c ditch really looks like
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Another trench collapse
- Thread starter DeanW
- Start date
Look at the photo's. There are so many things wrong here. The second picture has two excavators that arent even running and are pretty dang close to the edge. WHY not park them futher back. The first photo with the machine close to the edge looks to me dumping the bedding. Why have all those men in the hole when this is going on? I dont see any slings, chains on any concrete pipe? So I am going to assume they are not using the machine to lay the piping. You can lay bedding without men in the hole with a machine (Yes I have done it). Climb out the hole, lay the bedding move the machine and re-enter the hole. Use shovels and compactors to set the bedding. If the pipping is too heavy to handle, and men has to be in the hole, BOX the trench properly, SLOPE the trench properly, STEP the trench properly.
First of all, it's a still photo. We can't tell if they are running or not. I would assume they are and probably stopped for a minute for the photo. You don't see any slings on any of the pipe because it's already set and bedded in all the photos. If you assume that the crew laid RCP or a piece of sewer pipe without using machines because you don't see a sling proves you're pretty green when it comes to construction. It is next to impossible to lay a piece of concrete pipe without a machine and no one in their right mind would try it. And if they were dumb enough to try it, their company wouldn't make it through 1 job and be out of business. I cut a 2' piece of 12" RCP two weeks ago and put it in the back of my pickup and it took 3 of us to pick it up. I would guess that 2' piece alone weighed close to 200 pounds and those pipes come in 8' sections so do the math.
Secondly, you can lay bedding without someone in the hole. However, most times it is necessary to have someone spot the excavator operator on where to place the bedding because the operator sitting parallel to the trench cannot see the pipe sometimes because of the angle of his cab and the depth of the pipe. Yes, you can have the pipelayer step out of the trench and do this, or have him walk back up the run of pipe that is already bedded and guide the operator. My guys guide the hoe operator from the trench but never in harms way in the operators work area.
The slope of the trench does appear to be a little steep. I would ask the operator to lay it back a little bit more but all in all, I would feel comfortable working in that area and laying pipe. The spoil pile is where it should be in relation to the edge of the trench. That is not class C soil. If you look close, you can see the sheen on the edge of trench from the excavator bucket as he pulled the slope down and then shaped it with the side of his bucket. Anyone that has done this very much can tell why it looks that way and if the side of the trench is hard or not.
I perform trench work and that trench doesn't look as unsafe as you assume.
First of all, it's a still photo. We can't tell if they are running or not. I would assume they are and probably stopped for a minute for the photo. You don't see any slings on any of the pipe because it's already set and bedded in all the photos. If you assume that the crew laid RCP or a piece of sewer pipe without using machines because you don't see a sling proves you're pretty green when it comes to construction. It is next to impossible to lay a piece of concrete pipe without a machine and no one in their right mind would try it. And if they were dumb enough to try it, their company wouldn't make it through 1 job and be out of business. I cut a 2' piece of 12" RCP two weeks ago and put it in the back of my pickup and it took 3 of us to pick it up. I would guess that 2' piece alone weighed close to 200 pounds and those pipes come in 8' sections so do the math.
Secondly, you can lay bedding without someone in the hole. However, most times it is necessary to have someone spot the excavator operator on where to place the bedding because the operator sitting parallel to the trench cannot see the pipe sometimes because of the angle of his cab and the depth of the pipe. Yes, you can have the pipelayer step out of the trench and do this, or have him walk back up the run of pipe that is already bedded and guide the operator. My guys guide the hoe operator from the trench but never in harms way in the operators work area.
The slope of the trench does appear to be a little steep. I would ask the operator to lay it back a little bit more but all in all, I would feel comfortable working in that area and laying pipe. The spoil pile is where it should be in relation to the edge of the trench. That is not class C soil. If you look close, you can see the sheen on the edge of trench from the excavator bucket as he pulled the slope down and then shaped it with the side of his bucket. Anyone that has done this very much can tell why it looks that way and if the side of the trench is hard or not.
I perform trench work and that trench doesn't look as unsafe as you assume.
Last edited:
robin yates uk
Senior Member
Austin, I agree with all your comments