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Excavation, Trenching and Ground Collapse Prevention

Trench collapses on pipeline, foundation and municipal service jobs bury workers in seconds and remain one of the most lethal hazards on civil sites across the region. This course covers soil classification, shoring and shielding selection, spoil placement and safe access, using the sandy and clay soils common on South African and wider African sites as reference conditions. Delegates leave able to plan an excavation that protects the people working inside it.

What you will be able to do

  • Classify soil conditions and identify the factors that make a trench unstable.
  • Select and specify shoring, shielding or battering appropriate to depth and ground type.
  • Plan safe access, egress and spoil placement around an open excavation.
  • Assess the risk of buried services, water ingress and adjacent loads before digging.
  • Inspect an excavation daily and after rain, and record the findings correctly.
  • Respond to a collapse or entrapment without creating secondary casualties.

Course outline

  1. 01Why trenches collapse and the human cost
  2. 02Soil types and stability assessment
  3. 03Shoring, shielding and battering options
  4. 04Buried services and utility strike prevention
  5. 05Safe access, egress and spoil management
  6. 06Water, weather and adjacent load risks
  7. 07Daily inspection and record keeping
  8. 08Collapse rescue and emergency response

Who should attend

Site supervisors, foremen, safety officers, plant operators and civil engineers responsible for excavation and trenching work on construction and municipal service projects.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendar
17 to 19 Aug 2026Cairo3US$1,500
24 to 26 Aug 2026Accra3US$1,500
31 Aug to 2 Sep 2026Lusaka3US$1,500
7 to 9 Sep 2026Kigali3US$1,500
14 to 16 Sep 2026Nairobi3US$1,500
21 to 23 Sep 2026Durban3R13,000
28 to 30 Sep 2026Johannesburg3R13,000
12 to 14 Oct 2026Mauritius3US$1,500
19 to 21 Oct 2026Dubai3US$1,500
26 to 28 Oct 2026Lagos3US$1,500
2 to 4 Nov 2026Harare3US$1,500
9 to 11 Nov 2026Kampala3US$1,500
16 to 18 Nov 2026Dar es Salaam3US$1,500
23 to 25 Nov 2026Pretoria3R13,000
30 Nov to 2 Dec 2026Cape Town3R13,000
14 to 16 Dec 2026Online3US$900
21 to 23 Dec 2026Mozambique3US$1,500

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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