A contractor would be setting two electric vaults and running the supporting duct banks, which required a 10-ft deep excavation. The vaults and supporting infrastructure would need to be set on a relatively small area, which limited the size of the machinery available to set the protective system. The contractor contacted NTS to discuss the project and was presented with a few possible shoring options given the site restrictions. After a review of the possible systems, the contractor elected to use a modular aluminum shield system.
The modular, flexible design of the system appealed most to the contractor. The contractor was able to build a four-sided system that would provide the necessary soil protection around the vaults. The contractor was able to arrange the panels of that four-sided system to allow for the necessary tie-ins to the vault. In addition, when shifting to the linear runs for the supporting infrastructure, the contractor was able to remove panels from two opposing sides and insert a set of struts to transition the shield to more of a standard aluminum trench shield. This flexibility allowed the contractor to use the same equipment for most of the project, limiting the storage requirements for unused shoring equipment on the project given the site limitations. Since the modular system was composed of aluminum, it also worked well within the operating range of the machinery on the job site. The contractor combined the modular aluminum system with an aluminum handrail system to add fall protection to the trench protection the system required.The contractor was very pleased with the system’s adaptability and the additional protection the handrail system afforded the crew to ensure the project was completed efficiently and safely.
