Earthworks on Construction Site | Report

Contents
Executive summary.................................................................................................... 2
Introduction................................................................................................................ 2
Task 1........................................................................................................................... 2
Earthwork equipment.............................................................................................. 2
Earthwork techniques.............................................................................................. 3
Foundation, pile and drainage works.......................................................................5
Methods and techniques used in culvert and underpass construction....................5
Excavation in deep foundation................................................................................ 6
Maintaining Ground and Slope stability...................................................................7
Task 2........................................................................................................................... 7
Health hazards, risks and safety in construction site..............................................8
Safety plans and risk assessment........................................................................... 9
Health and safety legislation and codes of practice..............................................10
Site safety plan, risk assessments and method statements report.......................11
Task 3: Evaluate potential Project management Solutions.......................................11
Environmental, quality, geotechnical and economic contests...............................12
Proposal formulation............................................................................................. 12
Task 4....................................................................................................................... 13
Highway Design.................................................................................................... 13
Bridge and flexible highway foundations...............................................................14
Conclusion................................................................................................................ 14
Bibliography............................................................................................................. 15

Executive summary
Earthworks on the construction site will be done using excavators, wheel loaders, rollers, back
hoes, dump trucks and scrapers. Earthworks will be accomplished by site clearing, cutting and
excavation, transporting materials and compaction. Cast in situ pile foundation will be used.
Slope stability will be done by use of retaining walls, proper drainage and biotechnical slope
stabilization.
Introduction
Earthworks in civil engineering involves excavation of existing land to a prescribed level at
which construction of structure begins. This can be done either by excavation by forming cuts or
building an embankment to anchor an elevated structure. Soil can also be compacted to the
suitable level. Several equipment and tools are employed in earthwork activities. This includes
and not limited to drag line, bulldozer, dump truck, hydraulic excavators, shovels, graders and
rollers. BS 6031 provides descriptions and details on design and construction of earthworks.
During construction, health hazards and risks must be minimized. All workers must adhere to set
regulations and policies to safeguard them from any harm.
Task 1
Part a
Earthwork equipment
Earthwork equipment to be employed in this project are;
i) Excavators: The main functions of the excavators are digging, pulling down, grading,
brush cutting and lifting heavy objects. It is made up of hydraulic powered motors,
sealed cap on a rotating stand and bucket. The hydraulic motor runs the rotating
platform enabling it to move in all directions. The bucket is used to dig up the soil
and carry it to offloading trucks1. The head attachment (bucket) can alter immediately
its function from trench excavator to a loader.
ii) Wheel loaders: It is a type of tractor that has a square wide bucket mounted on its
front side and connected to two arms to scoop materials already dug by an excavator
1 Parente, M., Gomes Correia, A. and Cortez, P., 2015. Modern optimization in earthwork
construction.
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and dispose them to various locations without dragging the material across the
ground2.
iii) Rollers: This equipment is used in compaction of soil after grading. The main aim of
compacting the soil is to decrease the volume of air spaces present in the soil. Dry
unit weight is increased and the ability of the soil to carry the loads imposed on it
improved.
iv) Back hoes: It is used to excavate hard material and is usually employed to excavate
trenches. It bears a resemblance to an arm. Shoulder joint joined to the tractor, an
elbow hanging up and a wrist holding a bucket3. The bucket is positioned away from
the tractor, sunk and packed by dragging in the direction of the tractor. It is then lifted
up and moved to the side before disposing off the materials.
v) Dump trucks: These are automobiles used to transport soil from the point of
excavation to disposal areas. They can move on public highways and are faster when
compared to scrapers.
vi) Scrapers: It is used to move earth over distances of up to 2 miles over comparatively
smooth regions. Scrapers is made up of a wagon with a gate comprising of a bladed
bottom4. The blades scrape the ground as the wagon shoves forward and moves the
excavated materials into the wagon. The gate is closed when the wagon is filled up
and the materials transported to the disposal points.
Earthwork techniques
a) Site clearing
2 Aziz, R.F. and Aboel-Magd, Y.R., 2015. Suitably selection for earthwork equipment in
Egyptian sites. International Journal of Education and Research, 3(1), pp.539-550.
3 Phogat, M.V.S. and Singh, A.P., 2013. Selection of equipment for construction of a hilly road
using multi criteria approach. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 104, pp.282-291.
4 Schaufelberger, J.E. and Migliaccio, G.C., 2019. Construction equipment management.
Routledge.
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Vegetation cover such as grass and trees are removed through cutting and slashing. Site
clearing is done to ensure that vegetation on the site is cleared before actual excavation
starts.
b) Cutting and Excavation
Excavations is done as portion of the permanent works largely known as cuttings as well as
temporary works like drainage and foundations. As digging up of unwanted section takes place,
the sides of excavation are left in stable condition by performing the following;
i. Supporting the soil by use of retaining walls.
ii. Excavating the material to a stable slope angle.
The stability of the slope is dependent on;
a. Strength, distribution, nature and density of the materials along the slope5.
b. External loads.
c. Ground water conditions.
Cutting minimizes the stress in the slope resulting to decrease in pore pressure6. During the
design, weathering and erosion of slopes must be accounted for.
c) Transportation and moving
Excavated materials are moved from the site to the disposal points by use of wheel loaders and
dump trucks. Only the unwanted materials are transported out of the site. Useful materials are
transported by wheel loaders to filling parts on the construction site.
d) Compaction
5 Shehab, T., 2009. Automated measurement of earthwork volume in construction projects.
Construction Innovation.
6 Winter, M.G., Troughton, V., Bayliss, R., Golightly, C., Spasic-Gril, L., Hobbs, P.R.N. and
Privett, K.D., 2017. Design and construction considerations. Geological Society, London,
Engineering Geology Special Publications, 28(1), pp.831-890.
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