Check 01
Soil classification basis
Type A, B, or C, and where it came from: the geotechnical report, a competent person’s classification, or an assumed worst case. An unstated basis is the most common first-round comment.
Cal/OSHA Title 8 · Caltrans Section 48
PE-stamped shoring and falsework design for California public works.Agency-ready. Shoring and falsework in 5 to 10 business days from complete project information.
You have a trench to dig or a deck to pour, and a reviewer who wants a temporary-works submittal first. We design the system, stamp it with a California PE, and package it the way public-works reviewers check it, so it comes back approved instead of with comments.
Written scope and fee within one business day.
Trench shoring submittal · Tier 3
- Plan sheets, trench limits, utilities, adjacent structures
- Soil classification and its basis
- Lateral pressure and surcharge diagram
- Member checks, capacity versus demand
- Installation and removal sequence
- Dewatering notes
- Competent person designation
- Manufacturer tabulated data, tables marked
- California PE stamp and signature
- 5 to 10 daysTrench shoring
- 5 to 10 daysFalsework
- California PEStamped by the engineer of record
- No chargeReviewer comment responses
Start here
Service 01 · Trench shoring
When an engineer is required
Over 20 feet, always. Under 20 feet, usually.
Protective systems for excavations deeper than 20 feet must be designed by a registered professional engineer (8 CCR 1541.1 Appendix F; 29 CFR 1926.652(b) and (c)). For California work, the engineer must be California-registered.
At 20 feet or less, the Cal/OSHA tables and manufacturer tabulated data cover standard conditions only. Surcharge from spoil or equipment, adjacent structures and utilities, groundwater, layered or disturbed soil, and agency specifications that call for a stamped submittal all push a trench outside the tables. That is where most public-works trenches end up, and where we come in: a tabulated-data letter in 5 business days when the data applies, or an engineered design when it does not.
Engineered design regardless of depth
When the tables stop applying.
- Surcharge from equipment, stockpiles, roads, or adjacent structures
- Unstable or layered soils
- Groundwater
- Deviation from sloping criteria
- Agency specification requirement, common on sewer, water, and storm contracts
If any of these apply, plan on Tier 2 or Tier 3.
What the agency reviewer checks
Written from the reviewer’s seat.
We review contractor submittals on public works. These are the items that decide whether a shoring submittal is approved or returned, and every H2 package addresses each one on its face.
Check 02
Lateral earth pressure diagram
Shown, dimensioned, and consistent with the soil type. Apparent pressure envelopes for braced systems, active and passive for cantilevers.
Check 03
Surcharge assumptions stated
Equipment, spoil, traffic, and adjacent footings, with offsets and magnitudes on the plan, not buried in the calcs.
Check 04
System capacity versus demand
Sheeting, walers, struts, and piles checked against the demand at each depth, with the governing ratio called out.
Check 05
Installation and removal sequence
Step by step, including when the trench may be entered and how the system is removed without loss of support.
Check 06
Dewatering
If groundwater is present, how it is controlled and what happens to the design if it is not.
Check 07
Competent person designation
The plan names who classifies soil and inspects the system daily, per Cal/OSHA.
Check 08
Manufacturer data attached
Tabulated data for hydraulic shores, shields, or slide rail, with the applicable tables marked.
Scope tiers
Scoped by deliverable, scheduled by business day.
Turnaround runs from receipt of the trench profile, utility information, and soil data.
Tier 1
Tabulated-data letter
5 business days
Engineer’s letter confirming the manufacturer’s tabulated data applies to your trench, a site sketch, and a competent-person note.
Tier 2
Engineered trench shoring
7 business days
Sheet pile, soldier pile and lagging, deep trench, surcharge, or adjacent structures. Calculation package with plan and section.
Tier 3
Full agency submittal
10 business days
Plan sheets, calculations, installation and removal sequence, dewatering notes, and manufacturer data, assembled for agency review.
Revisions. Reviewer comments are answered at no additional charge. Scope changes are reflected in a revised written scope before the work.
Written scope and fee within one business day.
Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before work begins. No hourly billing and no added charge for plan check responses.
Not included
Where our scope ends.
We do not furnish, install, or inspect the shoring, and we do not act as the competent person. Geotechnical investigation, utility potholing, and survey are by others. After we deliver, the contractor submits the package, installs per the sequence, and the competent person inspects daily.
Service 02 · Falsework
Bridge and structure falsework design
Falsework design for bridges, box culverts, retaining walls, and cast-in-place building elements on California public works. Caltrans falsework submittals under Standard Specifications Section 48, and local agency specifications that adopt or modify it.
When a licensed engineer is required
Three triggers require a stamp. The spec sets the package.
Under Title 8, Section 1717(b)(1), falsework and vertical shoring need design calculations and working drawings signed by a California registered civil engineer when any one of these applies:
- Height from top of sills to the soffit is more than 14 feet
- Any individual horizontal span is more than 16 feet
- Vehicle or railroad traffic passes through the falsework
Below those triggers, Section 1717(b)(2) allows the plan to be signed by a registered civil engineer, a manufacturer’s authorized representative, or a qualified licensed contractor’s representative. Either way, the plan must be on site at all times.
Minimum design loads from the same section: 100 psf combined dead and live load regardless of slab thickness, with live load plus formwork at least 20 psf above the concrete weight. Lateral load at each floor is the greater of 100 lb per lineal foot of floor edge or 2% of total dead load.
On Caltrans work, falsework falls under Standard Specifications Section 48-2, with submittal and shop drawing requirements in 48-2.01C. Review takes 20 calendar days on most contracts, longer for complex structures or where railroad approval is required. Resubmittals get the same review period. Many local agencies adopt or modify Section 48, so check your spec section.
Separately, Cal/OSHA requires a permit for falsework or vertical shoring more than 36 feet high when complete, measured from the lowest surrounding grade to the soffit. That permit is the contractor’s; our drawings support it.
What the falsework reviewer checks
Fifteen items. Miss one and it comes back.
The Caltrans Falsework Manual (Chapter 2) lists what the shop drawings must show. If any item is missing, the reviewer must return the submittal for correction. Every H2 package shows all fifteen on the drawings.
Item 01
Member sizes
Every load-carrying member, including soffit joists, and all transverse and longitudinal bracing with connections.
Item 02
Overhang and girder support
Members supporting sloping exterior girders, deck overhangs, and attached construction walkways.
Item 03
Controlling dimensions
Beam length and spacing, post location and spacing, bent height, and vertical spacing of diagonal-brace connectors.
Item 04
Adjustment to grade
Where and how the falsework is adjusted to final grade.
Item 05
Placing diagram
Concrete placing sequence or direction of pour, and every construction joint.
Item 06
Openings and clearances
Every traffic, railroad, and pedestrian opening, with horizontal and vertical clearances shown.
Item 07
Temporary railing
Location of temporary railing.
Item 08
Proprietary systems
Trade name and rating of any proprietary shoring system.
Item 09
Pile pull-in limit
Maximum horizontal distance piles may be pulled into place under the caps.
Item 10
Pile plumbness
Maximum deviation of piles from vertical.
Item 11
Soil bearing
Assumed soil bearing values for pads and footings.
Item 12
Composite lumber
Grade (E-value), species, and type of structural composite lumber, with the manufacturer’s working stress values.
Item 13
Welding standard
The welding standard for any welded member.
Item 14
PE seal on every sheet
Seal and signature on each sheet where a Section 1717 trigger applies, including the contractor’s standard plans and details.
Item 15
Calculations
The contractor’s design calculations and supplemental data.
Drawings, not calc sheets. A detail sketched on a calculation sheet must also appear on the shop drawings. Reviewers will not complete a review by referring to the calculations.
Completeness comes first. Reviewers check completeness within about two working days. An incomplete package goes back before the 20-day review even starts.
Falsework scope tiers
Scoped by deliverable, scheduled by business day.
Turnaround runs from receipt of the structure drawings, the specification section, and soil information.
Tier 1
Falsework review letter
5 business days
Engineer’s letter confirming a contractor-proposed or supplier-proposed system meets the specification and the safety order for a specific configuration, with supporting calculations.
Tier 2
Falsework design package
10 business days
Calculations, plan and elevation sheets, member sizing, bracing layout, bearing and sill design, camber, pour sequence, and removal sequence.
Tier 3
Traffic-opening falsework
10 business days
Design package for falsework spanning an open traffic lane, including clearance envelopes, impact protection where required, and the agency’s traffic-opening requirements.
Add-on
Pre-pour inspection and certification
Before the pour
Section 1717(c)(1) site inspection after erection and before concrete placement, with written certification that the falsework substantially conforms to the working drawings and that material and workmanship are satisfactory.
Revisions. Reviewer comments are answered at no additional charge. Scope changes are reflected in a revised written scope before the work.
Written scope and fee within one business day.
Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before work begins. No hourly billing and no added charge for plan check responses.
FAQ
Common questions.
Do I need an engineer for a trench under 20 feet?
Usually, on public works. The tables and tabulated data cover standard conditions only; surcharge, poor soil, groundwater, adjacent structures, or an agency spec that requires a stamped submittal take the trench outside them. We confirm which applies and deliver the letter or the design.
Does manufacturer tabulated data need a separate PE stamp?
Agencies frequently want an engineer to confirm the data applies to your specific trench, especially near the table limits. Our tabulated-data letter does that in 5 business days, with a site sketch and the applicable tables marked.
Must the engineer be registered in California?
Yes. For California work, the engineer designing the protective system must be California-registered. H2 Seismic Pro is led by a California PE.
What happens when the reviewer comments?
We answer reviewer comments at no additional charge. If the comments reflect a change in scope, such as a deeper trench or a new utility crossing, we issue a revised written scope before the work.
When does falsework need an engineer’s stamp?
Under Title 8 Section 1717(b)(1), a California registered civil engineer must sign the calculations and working drawings when height from sills to soffit exceeds 14 feet, any span exceeds 16 feet, or traffic passes through the falsework. Below those triggers, a manufacturer’s or qualified contractor’s representative may sign the plan. Many agency specifications require a stamped submittal regardless, so check your spec section.
Do you design to the Caltrans Falsework Manual?
Yes. Packages follow the Caltrans Falsework Manual and Standard Specifications Section 48-2, and are organized to the manual’s shop drawing checklist. Local agency specifications that adopt or modify Section 48 are written into the design basis.
What gets falsework submittals rejected?
Missing items. The Caltrans Falsework Manual lists fifteen things the shop drawings must show, from member sizes and bracing to soil bearing values, opening clearances, and a PE seal on every sheet where a Section 1717 trigger applies. If any one is missing, the submittal is returned. Details shown only on calculation sheets also count as missing.
Can you review a system my supplier already proposed?
Yes. The falsework review letter confirms a contractor-proposed or supplier-proposed system against the specification and the safety order for your specific configuration, with supporting calculations.
Start a temporary-works submittal
Send the trench or the structure. Get a written scope.
Pick the service, then give us what you have. If the spec section is handy, include it.
- Response
- Written scope and fee within one business day.
- Turnaround
- Trench shoring: 5, 7, or 10 business days by tier. Falsework: 5 business days (review letter) or 10 (design package, traffic opening).
- Fee
- Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before work begins. No hourly billing and no added charge for plan check responses.
- Phone
- (510) 288-9352
- Office
- Dublin, CA 94568