United States
Hong KongSite Construction
Fifteen of 115 scored questions, covering excavation and protective systems, soils and compaction, stormwater and erosion control, site utilities and backfill, and surveying and earthwork quantities.
Fifteen questions, and the third largest category. It sits between the two big business and safety categories and the small trade ones. Hold it as a grid.
The five subtopics
- Excavation, trenching and protective systems
- Soils, compaction and site preparation
- Stormwater pollution prevention and erosion control
- Site utilities, pipe installation and backfill
- Surveying, layout and earthwork quantities
Excavation is the heart of it
And it is OSHA Subpart P, so it overlaps with General Requirements. Learn it once and it pays twice.
| Rule | The figure |
|---|---|
| Protective system required | At 5 feet, unless entirely in stable rock |
| Means of egress | Within 25 feet of lateral travel in a trench 4 feet or deeper |
| Spoil pile setback | 2 feet minimum from the edge |
| Engineer design required | Beyond 20 feet deep |
| Atmospheric testing | Over 4 feet where a hazardous atmosphere could exist |
Soil classification
Three types by unconfined compressive strength, each with its own maximum slope.
| Type | Strength | Maximum slope |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1.5 tons per square foot or greater | Three quarters to one |
| B | Greater than 0.5, less than 1.5 | One to one |
| C | 0.5 or less | One and a half to one |
Three types, three strengths, three slopes. Questions give you a soil type and ask for the slope, or describe conditions and ask for the classification. Holding it as a grid is how you answer both without a lookup.
Earthwork quantities
Volume calculations, usually in cubic yards. Twenty-seven cubic feet in a cubic yard is the conversion everything runs through.
Practice a few, because working them in your head at question 90 is not the moment to remember the conversion.
Common questions
How many questions is Site Construction?
15 of the 115 scored questions.
When is a trench protective system required?
At 5 feet deep, unless the excavation is entirely in stable rock.
What are the soil types?
Type A at 1.5 tons per square foot or greater, Type B above 0.5 and below 1.5, and Type C at 0.5 or less.
What are the maximum slopes?
Three quarters to one for Type A, one to one for Type B, and one and a half to one for Type C.
How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?
27, and it is the conversion every earthwork calculation runs through.