Trenching Vs. Excavation: What’s The Difference?

Excavation and trenching are similar yet different services. While trenching is a type of excavation, not all excavation projects will involve trenching.

Trenching is a very narrow excavation technique made below the ground’s surface. Trenches are usually 15 feet wide or less at the bottom. They are always deeper than they are wide, unlike ditches which are wider and more shallow.

Excavation is a broader term that is defined by OSHA as, “any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the Earth’s surface formed by earth removal”.

When Are Trenches Used In Excavation?

Our SiteWorx team regularly uses trenching in our excavation projects, as it is a common technique. Trenching is usually necessary for laying pipes, sewage lines, telephone wires, electrical cables, and more.

As a homeowner, you may be most familiar with trenching when it is used for irrigation or to install plumbing connections. When a project is for a city or at the civil engineering level, trenching is mostly used to install drainage lines and city-wide electrical lines.

Safety First!

Like all of our services, when our SiteWorx team is working on trenching as part of a project, safety is our first concern. There are a variety of safety checks and precautions we follow to ensure the safety of our team, homeowners, business owners, and the local environment.

Installing Protective Systems

One of the biggest safety risks of trenching is the possibility of a cave-in. To prevent that we use a variety of shielding, shoring, benching, and sloping to reinforce the trench and protect everyone working in the trench area.

Identify Utilities

Like with many other projects, identifying the utility lines before digging is essential. Before any earthwork is begun on your project, our team will obtain the necessary permits and confirm with your local 811 agency that surrounding utility lines are clearly marked.

Design Access Points

When a trench is deeper than four feet, our team places ladders or ramps no less than 25 feet from workers in the trench to ensure they can enter and exit the trench safely.

We’re Trenching Experts

Whether you need to install a utility line or an entire infrastructure for a commercial building site, SiteWorx can help!

SiteWorx has the experience and professional equipment to provide customized solutions for every project with the highest quality and professionalism available.

Ready to get started on your job site? Click below to schedule your free consultation with us today.