Steve Barnhardt HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Seattle, Washington. “We’re very pleased to be announcing the opening of our new Seattle operation,” … Read more
In almost all cases, a Competent Person must first classify soil in accordance with the OSHA Appendix A Soil Classification prior to selecting open-cut sloping or a manufacturer shoring system for a project. The appendix outlines three soil types in descending order of stability, Type A, Type B, and Type C. Anyone that works with … Read more
A coastal, South Carolina contractor recently installed several manholes as part of a pump station improvement project. The excavation would require a linear run of 12-ft with a width of 16-ft and a depth of 20-ft. The contractor on site classified the sandy soil as Type C-80 soil. The contractor would be contending with a … Read more
A utility contractor recently completed the construction and installation of two new manholes between high-traffic roadways. The contractor estimated the excavation for the first manhole needed to be 16-ft long and 16-ft wide excavated to a depth of 24-ft. The second manhole had a linear run of 20-ft with a width of 20-ft and a … Read more
It is well understood that the use of shoring equipment requires regular inspection and maintenance. Understanding how to inspect a shoring device, what needs to be focused on, and how to make practical decisions about what is observed, is not so clear. Steel shoring shields have very long lifetimes, which depend on how the product … Read more
A contractor had been tasked with setting a new manhole inlet tying into an existing 60-inch storm drain, which would ultimately help regulate stormwater for toll roads. The excavation would require a 12-ft square excavation to a depth of 16-ft in what the contractor had classified as Type C-60 soil. The excavation site would be … Read more
A contractor was extending a drainage tunnel as part of infrastructure support for a growing Texas university. The contractor would need to excavate 300 lineal feet to a depth of 12-ft and with a width of 16-ft to accommodate the 10-ft square drainage tunnel. The contractor had classified the sandy and clay soil as Type … Read more
OSHA Subpart P was promulgated starting in 1970 when Federal OSHA was established and adopted it as a “National Consensus Standard” in 1989. At that point it became a law that employers had to adhere to and could be cited for violating it. In my personal opinion, the standard has been extremely successful given the … Read more
A Mid-Atlantic contractor was installing piping and pumps in a 30-ft deep wet well. The contractor needed a safe way to lower equipment into the wet well and allow the crew the tools to complete the project, as the site would not have sufficient room to install scaffolding. The contractor called NTS to discuss the project … Read more
A contractor was performing a stormwater infrastructure upgrade tying drainage into an existing manhole. The project would require a 16-ft long, 12-ft wide, and 14-ft deep excavation in a sand and clay mixture that the Competent Person had classified as a Type-C soil. The project occurred on a site that was adjacent to a roadway, … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Fort Worth, Texas. “We’re excited to be strengthening our presence in the Dallas and Fort … Read more
On June 19th through 24th, the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) will be sponsoring a Trench Safety Stand-Down to raise awareness and prevent accidents in excavation work. One of the major ideas behind a safety stand-down is to increase awareness and focus on safety by encouraging participants to stop, think about safety, and determine ways … Read more
A Southwest contractor was tasked with an underground installation project of a concrete cooling tank as part of a manufacturing company’s ongoing expansion efforts. The precast concrete cooling tank needed to be installed in three sections, with each section weighing about 90,000 pounds. The components required an excavation of approximately 40-ft in length, 16-ft in … Read more
A Central Florida contractor was performing one portion of a water expansion project that would require a bore beneath existing rail tracks. The contractor estimated the excavation would need to be about 40-ft long, 16-ft wide, and about 19-ft deep to provide the necessary room to operate the boring machine and complete the work. The … Read more
National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, officially announced its plan to expand its branch network to the United Kingdom. “We are extremely excited to be announcing our plan to expand our footprint … Read more
The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) is promoting a National Trench and Excavation Stand Down to raise awareness of the dangers in excavation work to prevent injuries and death related to these hazards. As a proud NUCA partner we are participating in this outreach program as well as to support our customer’s emphasis on promoting … Read more
OSHA has announced a National Safety Stand-Down from May 8th to 12th with the goal of preventing falls in construction. Falls continue to be a leading cause of fatalities within the construction industry and the goal of the Stand-Down is to raise awareness in hopes of preventing future incidents. OSHA has encouraged all construction companies … Read more
A contractor had been tasked with installing four 22-ft concrete vaults for tank insulation on a Southwestern US military base. The project would require an excavation of approximately 40-ft wide, 60-ft long, and 20-ft deep. The contractor’s Competent Person had classified the clay soil as Type-B soil. The contractor’s initial focus on this project was … Read more
A contractor was installing 42-inch stormwater and sewer pipe as part of new development to support the growth of a Southwest US city. The project called for the excavation to be approximately 8-ft to 10-ft deep with widths running 4-ft to 5-ft. The contractor had classified the soil as Type C-60 soil. One of the … Read more
National Trench Safety recently previewed its newly developed telemetric pin at the CONEXPO/CON-AGG construction equipment show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The telemetric pin was installed within the leg of a hydraulic excavation brace supporting an in-ground slide rail pit. As part of the demonstration, hydraulic loads were applied to the pin which was wirelessly transmitted … Read more
The contractor had been tasked with pouring in place a 17-ft square, 17-ft tall lift station for a Northern Virginia power station. The contractor had classified the soil as Type C-60. To complete the project an excavation of 18-ft deep and 30-ft squared would be required. This allowed the contractor to conduct the necessary preparations … Read more
National Trench Safety was once again fortunate to exhibit at the CONEXPO/CON-AGG trade show. The CONEXPO show is held every 3 years in Las Vegas, Nevada and is the premier North American construction equipment trade show. NTS showcased its emerging products and technologies during the show. Among those products present included the patented NTS Work … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, officially announced the release of the NTS Mobile App designed specifically for anyone working with Trench and Traffic Safety equipment. “We’re really pleased to be … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Boston, Massachusetts. “We’re extremely pleased to be able to announce the expansion of our national … Read more
A Midwest contractor was installing a 12-ft stormwater overflow line under an existing parking lot. The contractor had determined the job would require an excavation depth of 20-ft with a linear run of 70-ft followed by a 90-degree turn and then another 70-ft linear run. The contractor’s Competent Person had classified the soil as either … Read more
A contractor was tasked with replacing an existing terracotta sewer pipe with ductile iron in a high-volume shopping center in North Carolina. The project would require two separate excavations of 16-ft length and 6-ft width to depths of 12-ft and 16-ft. One of the pits would be used as a pipe-bursting launch pit, while the … Read more
HOUSTON, T.X.—National Trench Safety, LLC (NTS), a Houston-based company specializing in the rental and sales of trench and traffic safety equipment, trench and traffic safety engineering, and OSHA-compliant training classes, announced today the opening of a new branch operation in Cleveland, Ohio. “We are very excited to be expanding our presence in the Midwest,” explained … Read more
There are many requirements within OSHA Subpart P that may not be entirely clear. One requirement that I continually get questions on is what we call the” 2-ft rule”. The 2-ft rule provides that a protective system, such as shoring shields and hydraulic shores, cannot be held more than 2-ft off the bottom of an … Read more
A Nevada university hosted a presidential debate in October and needed to protect its grounds from the set-up and traffic associated with hosting a presidential debate. The representative charged with the project had contacted NTS to discuss potential options with NTS’s ground mats the perfect solution for this application. The mats would provide protection to … Read more
A contractor needed to add to an existing petroleum line at a location that was approximately 16-ft from a set of railroad tracks. The project required an excavation of 16-ft x 12-ft and 16-ft deep in what the contractor had classified as a Type C-60 soil consisting of sand and a little clay. The proximity … Read more
