What does this excavation support and shoring final checklist cover?

12 items across 3 sections, covering alignment and condition, monitoring and drainage, records and handoff. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The GC's superintendent with the shoring engineer, walking the exposed wall before foundation work starts against it.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After the excavation is at final subgrade and the support system is complete, before the permanent foundation and walls are built against the shoring.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

7 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 9 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an excavation support and shoring final inspection?

Wall plumb checked at one bay and assumed for the run, missing a section that has walked out of line. Survey monitoring points established late, so there's no baseline to judge movement against. Weep or drainage behind a soldier-pile wall omitted, letting water build up behind the permanent wall.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Excavation support and shoring

Excavation support and shoring final inspection checklist

Excavation support and shoring final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against the project geotechnical report and specifications, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Alignment and condition

Completed wall alignment and plumb verified
Wall face surveyed for line and plumb along the run, deviations compared against the design tolerance, no bulging bays or racked members.
Wall condition sound before the permanent structure ties in
Members, lagging and connections intact at final grade, no soil loss or voids at the face where foundation work will bear.
Wall clear of the permanent foundation and wall lines
Measured from subgrade once the competent person's inspection for the day is recorded; wall face, wales and anchor heads clear of the permanent footing and wall lines.
Toe of the wall intact at final subgrade
Checked from subgrade once the competent person's inspection for the day is recorded; soil at the member bases undisturbed, with no overexcavation, scour or undercutting.
Anchor heads and brace connections show no distress at full depth
Where anchors or braces are used, bearing plates, wedges, wale stiffeners and strut ends looked at for bending, rotation or slipped wedges now the cut is complete.
No photo

Monitoring and drainage

Monitoring and survey points established and read
Survey and monitoring points set on the wall and adjacent structures with a baseline reading logged and a trend where lifts have passed.
Drainage provisions in place behind the wall
Weeps, drainage board or collection specified behind the wall present and clear before the permanent wall closes the space off.
Base of the wall checked for seepage and standing water
Lagging joints or sheet interlocks and the wall base looked at from subgrade for seepage and ponding, with any fines washing out reported to the shoring engineer.

Records and handoff

Shoring engineer's full-depth observation report on file
Written field observation from the shoring engineer covering the completed system at final subgrade, with any open items listed for the GC.
No photo
Tieback test records complete and matched to anchor numbers
Where tiebacks are used, proof and performance test records for every production anchor collected and matched to the numbering on the shoring drawings.
No photo
Competent person's records continuous from first lift to subgrade
Daily excavation inspection records present for every working day of the dig, including rain days and days after a condition change, with no gaps.
No photo
Members staying in place or coming out agreed with the foundation crew
Which piles, sheets, anchors and lagging remain or are removed matches the shoring submittal and the permanent design, and is marked on the drawings.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Wall plumb checked at one bay and assumed for the run, missing a section that has walked out of line.
Survey monitoring points established late, so there's no baseline to judge movement against.
Weep or drainage behind a soldier-pile wall omitted, letting water build up behind the permanent wall.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this excavation support and shoring final checklist cover?: 12 items across 3 sections, covering alignment and condition, monitoring and drainage, records and handoff. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The GC's superintendent with the shoring engineer, walking the exposed wall before foundation work starts against it.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After the excavation is at final subgrade and the support system is complete, before the permanent foundation and walls are built against the shoring.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 7 of the 12 items call for photo evidence, 9 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an excavation support and shoring final inspection?: Wall plumb checked at one bay and assumed for the run, missing a section that has walked out of line. Survey monitoring points established late, so there's no baseline to judge movement against. Weep or drainage behind a soldier-pile wall omitted, letting water build up behind the permanent wall.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 9 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.