Trench: Shoring Panels

Designing and certifying shoring panels and related components to ensure the safety of workers using the panels to shore up the side walls of trenches. Excavations are inherently dangerous, and it is essential to provide a safe environment by preventing trench collapse and providing safe access for workers. Our scope was to create a range of designs, including steel and aluminium shoring panels, trench boxes, and manhole boxes, all designed to meet Australian safety standards.

Guiderail systems and walkways are useful add-on components which provide safe entry and exit into trenches. These features were integral to the overall safety design, ensuring that workers could safely access and work within the trench while avoiding hazards. The guiderail systems and walkways were developed with an emphasis on both structural integrity and ease of use, ensuring that all safety standards were met for trench operations.

To ensure the structural integrity and load capacity of all components, ARP conducted comprehensive stress analysis using advanced engineering tools. This analysis was critical in verifying the design and ensuring that the panels, trench boxes, and manhole boxes would perform as expected under the stresses of real-world trenching operations. We performed simulations to assess the behaviour of the panels under various conditions, validating the performance of the steel and aluminium materials used in the designs.

ARP engineers integrated standard struts and high-arch steel struts into the design to ensure the system could support the required working load limits (WLL) for real-world trenching applications. The panels and related components were rigorously tested to ensure that they could withstand the stresses encountered during trenching operations, providing secure support for excavations of varying depths and widths.

Through a combination of innovative design, precise engineering, and strict adherence to safety standards, ARP’s solutions enable clients to confidently execute excavation projects. Our engineered shoring systems offer reliable, safe, and compliant solutions that ensure workers can perform their tasks with reduced risk and increased operational efficiency.
This project exemplifies ARP’s commitment to engineering safety in all aspects of construction. By focusing on the integrity of our designs and adhering to strict safety standards, we ensure that excavation projects are executed securely, protecting workers and ensuring compliance with Australian regulations.