A Comprehensive Guide to Underground Construction

What is Underground Construction?

Underground construction refers to building structures, like tunnels, subways, and basements, below the earth’s surface. Encompassing excavation, ground support, and tunneling operations, this requires advanced engineering principles, careful planning, special equipment, and rigorous safety measures to effectively deal with soil pressure, water, and confined spaces.

Importance of Safe Underground Construction

Subterranean spaces have functioned as critical places throughout history, including burial sites, defensive structures, and utility conduits. General underground construction remains a necessity in modern urban development, enabling cities to optimize space, ease surface congestion, and build resilient systems for transit and core industries.

Building these subsurface structures is inherently hazardous. Rigorous safety protocols should be put in place for the following reasons:

• Uphold worker health and safety - Underground environments pose hazards like oxygen-deficient atmospheres, crystalline silica dust, and extreme vibration from equipment. Personnel working at these sites should be fully equipped to prevent injuries.

• Ensure preparedness during emergencies -Flammable materials and confined spaces severely increase fire risk, while limited access complicates emergency evacuation. Rigorous controls and comprehensive worker training are essential for ensuring survival during an emergency.

• Minimize unforeseen expenditures - Preventing accidents also reduces insurance premiums, avoids expensive delays, minimizes equipment damage, and eliminates costly hospitalization and legal fees.

• Comply with safety regulations - Implementing strict safety protocols, as mandated by agencies like OSHA, is essential to manage construction-related risks and fulfill the legal and ethical responsibilities of the construction team leaders.

• Prevent structural collapse - The absence of robust support systems risks total structural failure, resulting in worker fatalities and project delays. Strict safety protocols must be the first line of defense against these hazards.

Main Methods

The numerous methods for underground construction are tailored to specific ground conditions, project depths, and scales. Knowing these common techniques is vital for determining the most suitable application for any project.

Cut-and-Cover

One of the oldest and simplest techniques, this involves excavating a trench, building within it, and then backfilling the area to restore the surface. Ideal for shallow depths and large open spaces, this subterranean development is best for wide storage spaces, parking facilities, and utility chambers.

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Method

This method utilizes a large, cylindrical mechanism called a TBM to dig through soil or rock while installing precast concrete segments that form the tunnel lining. Because TBM allows for precise and continuous tunneling at great depths, it is widely used for constructing metro lines, railway tunnels, and highway underpasses.

New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM)

NATM is a flexible approach that relies on the surrounding ground to support the tunnel. Instead of rigid pre-supports, it uses shotcrete and rock bolts to stabilize the excavation. Because this is perfect for irregular tunneling and varying rock strengths, this is the go-to option in mining operations.

Microtunneling

As the term implies, this is a trenchless construction technique used for creating small-diameter tunnels. Controlled remotely and guided by laser systems, this is perfect for laying utilities (e.g., water, sewage, and communication pipelines) under roads or rivers.

Sequential Excavation Method

Similar to NATM, this involves dividing the tunnel into smaller sections (top heading, bench, and invert). Each section is excavated or blasted sequentially, followed immediately by the installation of necessary support, such as rock bolts, steel ribs, and shotcrete. This is often used for deep complex structures, such as underground shelters and emergency evacuation tunnels.

Key Laws and Standards

Subterranean development is tightly regulated because of its high hazard profile. Regulators treat compliance seriously, so breaches can lead to severe consequences, from stop-work orders to criminal prosecution. Learn more about regulations regarding underground construction safety and quality below:

What are the Main Challenges in Underground Construction?

Construction remains one of the most dangerous industries. Recent tunnel and underground incidents, such as the mine collapse in Spain and the tunnel failure in Los Angeles, underscore the extreme risks workers face. Explore the most common perils in underground works:

• Ground stability and collapse risk - The loss of soil or rock support around a dig or a tunnel, causing the entire structure to fall apart, often occurs during construction. Continuous monitoring is vital to prevent this.

• Limited space and accessibility - Narrow headings, long access tunnels, and limited points of egress make movement and delivery of underground construction equipment difficult. Mechanized material handling systems (e.g., rails and conveyors) speed up deliveries and accelerate access for emergency response.

• Ventilation and air quality - Atmospheric hazards (e.g., acute poisoning, fire and explosion risks, long-term lung disease) is a persistent problem. Aside from continuous gas monitoring, mechanical ventilation systems, and PPEs are must-haves.

• Water ingress and drainage - Sudden water inrushes and continuous groundwater seepage can potentially drown workers and trigger collapses. Engineering controls are dependent on a robust hydrogeological investigation completed before construction begins.

• High costs and schedule risks - Underground construction is capital-intensive and sensitive to unforeseen conditions. Expect cost overruns, but don’t lose millions by investing in early site investigation and setting aside risk contingency budgets.

How to Ensure Safe Underground Construction

Underground construction is inherently complex and hazardous. Fostering a strong safety culture combined with strict adherence to engineering and regulatory standards is what ultimately ensures worker safety and project success. Take note of these best practices to achieve your goals:

Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment - Every underground site has unique hazards, from unstable soil to groundwater issues. These risks should be identified early to prevent collapse, equipment loss, or fatalities. Involve multidisciplinary teams (e.g, engineers, geologists, safety officers) to assess risks during the geotechnical and hydrogeological investigation and at each project stage.

Strengthen worker training and competency - Most underground accidents are linked to human error. Training workers to recognize warning signs, such as shifting ground, gas alarms, or water seepage, is the frontline defense against incidents.

Install proper ventilation systems - Subterranean work environments can quickly fill with dust, exhaust fumes, or toxic gases. Installing mechanical ventilation systems with gas detection and monitoring equipment can prevent suffocation, poisoning, or explosion.

Implement robust structural support - Ground instability can cause roof collapse or tunnel deformation. Choosing the appropriate support system (e.g., rock bolts, shotcrete, steel ribs, precast segments, and ground freezing) and following design standards can preserve tunnel integrity and prevent catastrophic failures.

Maintain continuous monitoring - Underground conditions change rapidly, necessitating the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors (monitoring ground movement, gas, temperature, and pressure). These systems, set with trigger alerts and stop-work orders, ensure early detection of issues before they become critical emergencies.

Develop comprehensive emergency planning - Accidents can still occur even with the best controls. Draft a site-specific emergency response plan covering evacuation routes, rescue procedures, and communication systems, and equip each area with fire suppression systems, escape chambers, and breathing apparatus. Conducting regular drills and simulations involving all workers and first responders is also vital to save lives.

Ensure equipment safety and maintenance - Equipment failure can also trigger accidents, fires, or delays. Specialized machinery, such as the TBMs, should be maintained following the manufacturer's recommendations. Aside from verifying their compliance with underground safety standards, keep spare parts and emergency power supplies for critical systems.

California-based Level 10 Construction has improved its safety stats, recording 2.5 million man-hours with no lost-time incidents, by transitioning from paper checklists to a mobile digital platform. This enabled real-time reporting of safety issues from the field, enhancing communication and accountability across their operations.