Why aluminium shoring could save your construction project time and money

21 December 2018
 Categories: , Blog


If you work in the construction industry, you are probably familiar with the dangers posed by a trench cave-in. Your workers could face life-changing injuries or even death if the sides of a trench were to fall on them. Cave-ins are a serious danger anywhere that trenches are dug and the problem is not limited to large trenches — even fairly shallow trenches may present a risk to the safety of your employees if they are not properly protected. If you are responsible for safety on a construction site, how do you ensure that anyone working in a trench remains protected from the possibility of harm?

Trench shields ensure safety

The most effective way to make certain that the earth walls of your trench stay exactly where they should be is to use trench shields. Trench shields, or trench boxes as they are sometimes known, are designed to offer the worker protection and security while allowing them to access all the places they need to be.

Steel or Aluminium shoring?

Traditionally steel has been the preferred material for trench boxes. The strength and relatively low cost of steel both contributed to making them an industry standard; however, in more recent years, there has been a growing trend towards aluminium shoring, especially for smaller construction jobs. One of the chief benefits of aluminium shoring is the reduced weight of the material which means that the trench boxes are a lot easier to both transport and install than comparable steel shoring which often needs heavy equipment to move it. At less than half the weight of their steel counterparts aluminium shoring materials can be moved even with a rubber-tyred backhoe. They are also stackable so they take up less space on site and the reduced weight means that fewer workers are required during installation. Since the aluminium shoring is more manoeuvrable, the installation process itself is quicker and does not consume so much of the working day.

When aluminium shoring is the right choice

For smaller jobs when you need strong shoring but don't want to waste time and manpower on installing it, aluminium is the perfect solution. It will provide the protection your crew needs while remaining cost-effective and simple to install. Talk to your supplier today and find out what trench shielding and aluminium shoring options are open to you. They will be able to explain what the standard options are and perhaps suggest a custom solution for your site if the situation requires it.


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