What does this excavation support and shoring punch checklist cover?

9 items across 3 sections, covering movement and protection, backfill and closeout, records. 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, resolving movement readings and detailing loose ends before backfill.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

As the permanent structure comes up and the shoring is decommissioned, when monitoring flags movement and tieback zones are ready to backfill.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

2 of the 9 items call for photo evidence, 2 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 punch inspection?

Deflection past the design limit noted in the monitoring log but never reported to the engineer for evaluation. A tieback zone backfilled without confirming the anchors are detensioned or abandoned per the design.

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 punch checklist

Excavation support and shoring punch is where small misses become callbacks after the crew has demobilized. This checklist walks the finished work the way the owner and the next trade will see it, with the photo that closes each item instead of a note that reopens 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.

Movement and protection

Deflection beyond limits reported and evaluated
Monitoring readings compared against the design threshold each cycle, any exceedance flagged to the engineer with a documented response.
No photo
Corrosion protection intact on members left in place
Coating or cathodic protection on permanent or long-term members undamaged, exposed steel touched up per the spec.
No photo
Final monitoring reading taken after the structure takes the load
Last reading on wall and neighboring points taken after bracing or anchors are released, logged, sent to the shoring engineer, and points retired per the submittal.
No photo
Neighboring property re-walked against the pre-construction record
Adjacent buildings, walks and paving looked at again; any new crack or settlement photographed next to the pre-construction record and reported.

Backfill and closeout

Tieback zones detensioned and backfilled correctly
Anchors detensioned or abandoned per the design before backfill, tieback penetrations sealed, backfill placed and compacted per spec.
No photo
Bracing released only in the sequence the design allows
Where struts, rakers or anchors are released, each one comes out after the permanent floor or wall it transfers to reaches the strength the engineer set.
No photo
Members pulled or cut off at the elevation the drawings set
Soldier piles or sheets extracted, or cut at the depth below finished grade the shoring drawings show, with voids left by extraction filled.

Records

Shoring closeout records assembled for the package
Installation logs, anchor test records, monitoring history and the shoring engineer's letters collected and indexed for the closeout package.
No photo
Anchors and members left in the ground shown on the record drawings
Abandoned tieback locations, lengths and depths, and any piles or sheets left in place, drawn on the record set so future work nearby knows they are there.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Deflection past the design limit noted in the monitoring log but never reported to the engineer for evaluation.
A tieback zone backfilled without confirming the anchors are detensioned or abandoned per the design.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this excavation support and shoring punch checklist cover?: 9 items across 3 sections, covering movement and protection, backfill and closeout, records. 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, resolving movement readings and detailing loose ends before backfill.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: As the permanent structure comes up and the shoring is decommissioned, when monitoring flags movement and tieback zones are ready to backfill.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 2 of the 9 items call for photo evidence, 2 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 punch inspection?: Deflection past the design limit noted in the monitoring log but never reported to the engineer for evaluation. A tieback zone backfilled without confirming the anchors are detensioned or abandoned per the design.
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

Excavation support and shoring Rough-inExcavation support and shoring rough-in inspection checklistWall members, embedment, lagging and tiebacks verified against the engineered design as the cut goes down15 items10 photos Excavation support and shoring FinalExcavation support and shoring final inspection checklistCompleted wall alignment, monitoring points and drainage verified before the permanent structure ties in12 items9 photos

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 2 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.