How to inspect sitework and earthwork

Step by step

1. 1

   Verify erosion and sediment control first

   Before ground is broken, confirm silt fence, inlet protection, construction entrances, and any required controls are installed per the SWPPP. This is both a permit condition and the first thing an inspector looks for.

2. 2

   Check excavation, benching, and trench safety

   Confirm excavation reaches the right lines and grades, that slopes, benching, or shoring meet the safety requirements for the soil and depth, and that spoil is set back from the edge. Trench safety is life-safety scope — verify the protective system is in place before anyone enters.

3. 3

   Confirm the subgrade and proof-roll

   Verify the subgrade is at grade, free of organics and soft spots, and proof-rolled where required, with the geotechnical engineer approving it where their sign-off governs. Soft subgrade under a slab or pavement pumps and fails.

4. 4

   Inspect fill placement and compaction testing

   Confirm the fill material matches the spec, that it's placed in the specified lift thickness at proper moisture, and that the testing lab takes density tests at the required frequency and they pass. Fill placed too thick or too dry never reaches density.

5. 5

   Verify underground utilities before backfill

   Check line, grade, slope, bedding, and material for storm, sanitary, water, and conduit, and confirm required pressure or leak testing is done before the trench is closed. Bedding and haunching support the pipe — skip it and the pipe deflects.

6. 6

   Confirm base course and aggregate

   Under pavements and slabs, verify aggregate base type, thickness, and compaction, and that it's shaped to the right grade and cross-slope. The base does the structural work under the wearing surface.

7. 7

   Check final grades, drainage, and stabilization

   Verify finish grades drain away from the building and to the drainage structures per the plan, that positive slope is maintained, and that disturbed areas are stabilized. Standing water against the building is a grading defect, not a landscaping one.

8. 8

   Document each layer before it's covered

   Photograph the subgrade, utility trenches, and compacted lifts before they're buried, keep the density and utility test reports with the record, and log any failing test or out-of-grade condition as a nonconformance.

Questions people ask

Why does earthwork need so much testing?

Because compaction can't be judged by eye, and everything you build sits on it. Density tests at each lift are the proof that the fill will carry load without settling — and once it's buried, that report is the only record you have.

Who approves the subgrade and bearing?

Your QC confirms line and grade, the testing lab runs the density and proof-roll, and the geotechnical engineer approves bearing where their sign-off is required. Record all of it; the layers get covered fast.