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The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued.

The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference B/513
Draft for comment 19/30340390 DC

Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 October 2019. It was prepared by Technical Committee B/513, Construction equipment and plant, and site safety. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession

This British Standard supersedes BS 6164:2011, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

This is a full revision of the standard, and introduces the following principal changes:

reference to the current versions of European Standards relating to tunnelling machinery and manlocks;
reference to the ITA guidelines for refuge chambers in tunnelling;
setting out formal procedures for design checking including the resolution of differences between a designer and a design checker;
Clauses 23 and 24 have been extensively restructured and extended, particularly in respect of fire, MEWPs, use of plant underground and rail operations;
recommendations for undertaking high pressure compressed air exposures;
material on SCL and exclusion zones; and
information on real time dust monitoring.

This publication can be withdrawn, revised, partially superseded or superseded. Information regarding the status of this publication can be found in the Standards Catalogue on the BSI website at bsigroup.com/standards, or by contacting the Customer Services team.

Where websites and webpages have been cited, they are provided for ease of reference and are correct at the time of publication. The location of a webpage or website, or its contents, cannot be guaranteed.

Use of this document

This British Standard takes into account the advances in technology and equipment that are available to the tunnelling industry. It also takes account of new techniques and the effect of changes in legislation and guidance relating to health and safety and environmental matters. These changes include the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 [1] and the guidance in the Work in Compressed Air Regulations 1996 [2]. The document is written for all involved in tunnelling projects and addresses the safety of both those engaged in the tunnelling process and those who could be affected by it.

The text follows the pattern established by BS 6164:2011. Clauses contain recommendations for and guidance on health and safety practices in shaft sinking and tunnelling. However, the text has been extensively updated to reflect current and developing best practices.

The International System of Units (SI) is followed in this British Standard, with the exception of the unit used for pressure, which is the bar.

NOTE 1 bar = 10⁵ N/m² = 10⁵ Pa.

It has been assumed in the preparation of this British Standard that the execution of its provisions will be entrusted to appropriately qualified and competent people, for whose use it has been produced.

As a code of practice, this British Standard takes the form of guidance and recommendations. It should not be quoted as if it were a specification and particular care should be taken to ensure that claims of compliance are not misleading.

Any user claiming compliance with this British Standard is expected to be able to justify any course of action that deviates from its recommendations.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its recommendations are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. "organization" rather than "organisation").

The word “should” is used to express recommendations of this standard. The word “may” is used in the text to express permissibility, e.g. as an alternative to the primary recommendation of the Clause. The word “can” is used to express possibility, e.g. a consequence of an action or an event.

Notes and commentaries are provided throughout the text of this standard. Notes give references and additional information that are important but do not form part of the recommendations. Commentaries give background information.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

1 Scope

This British Standard makes recommendations for and gives guidance on health and safety practices in shaft sinking and tunnel construction.

The standard includes health and safety recommendations that are also relevant to cut‑and‑cover tunnelling, immersed tube tunnels and other forms of underground construction as well as to the construction aspects of maintenance, renovation and repair of shafts and tunnels.

The recommendations in this British Standard are not intended to apply to the construction of shafts or tunnels for the purpose of mineral extraction.

NOTE 1 The design, manufacture and use of plant and machinery are referred to only where safety considerations are affected. Various European Standards relating to the design of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and machinery for use underground are currently under development or revision.

NOTE 2 Current legislation relating to occupational health and safety can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 The control of risk

4.1 From hazard identification to safe systems of work

4.2 Planning for contingencies and emergencies (see Clause 14)

4.3 Types of accidents

4.4 Occupational health and welfare

5 Investigation and information gathering

5.1 General

5.2 Preliminary studies

5.3 Project‑specific studies

5.4 Ground investigation during construction

6 Detailed planning for health and safety

6.1 Integral nature of design and construction

6.2 Pre‑construction stage organization

6.3 Construction stage

6.4 Safety of permanent and temporary works

6.5 Recruitment of project personnel

6.6 Competence

6.7 Personal protective equipment

6.8 First aid provision and procedures

7 Excavation and control of ground movement

7.1 Management of risk in the tunnel construction process

7.2 Basic principles

7.3 Ground movement control

7.4 Ground characteristics

7.5 Tunnel excavation

7.6 Tunnelling machines

7.7 Control of ground movement when tunnelling in soft ground without a segmental lining

7.8 Tunnelling in rock

7.9 Hand excavation, headings and small tunnels

7.10 Pipe and box jacking

7.11 Soil conditioners

8 Permanent support

8.1 General

8.2 In‑situ linings

8.3 Prefabricated linings

8.4 Construction of openings

8.5 Monitoring of loads and deformation

9 Management of groundwater

9.1 Control of groundwater

9.2 Geotechnical processes for water management and ground improvement

9.3 Compressed air

9.4 Drilling through the tunnel lining for dewatering, ground treatment or freezing

9.5 Risk from groundwater on entry to cutterhead

9.6 Handling of groundwater

10 Inundation

10.1 General

10.2 Reliance on geological information

10.3 Other potential sources of flooding

10.4 Precautions for probe drilling

10.5 Inundation during shaft and portal construction

10.6 Inundation of a tunnel constructed with open faces (including backshunts and foreshunts)

10.7 Inundation during Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) launch

10.8 Inundation via the TBM during operation

10.9 Inundation during face inspections of closed face TBMs

10.10 Dealing with inundation

11 Compressed‑air working

11.1 Physical effects of compressed air

11.2 Structural considerations

11.3 Shaft construction under compressed air (see also Clause 20)

11.4 TBMs and compressed air

11.5 Air supply

11.6 Bulkheads, airlocks and associated compressed‑air equipment

11.7 Fires and rescue in compressed air

11.8 Inundation

11.9 High pressure compressed air

12 Explosive atmospheres

12.1 General

12.2 Occurrence

12.3 Explosion characteristics

12.4 Detection and monitoring

12.5 Action levels

12.6 Re-entry procedures

12.7 Sources of ignition

12.8 Explosion protection (see also 12.5)

12.9 Work in potentially explosive atmospheres

12.10 Other explosive gases

12.11 Methane occurrence on TBMs

12.12 Methane occurrence in slurry plant

12.13 Flammable dust

13 Fire and smoke

13.1 Sources of fuel and ignition

13.2 Welding and cutting (burning)

13.3 Fire precautions

13.4 Fires involving electrical equipment

13.5 Water spray curtain

14 Response to emergencies

14.1 Escape routes

14.2 Emergency services and operational capacity

14.3 Emergency control facilities

14.4 Raising the alarm

14.5 Alarm procedures

14.6 Site training

14.7 Access

14.8 Lighting

14.9 Smoke control

14.10 Rescue facilities

14.11 Self‑rescuers

14.12 Accounting for personnel

14.13 Refuge chamber

14.14 Escape and rescue in small tunnels

14.15 Response to inundation risk

14.16 Recovery of the situation following inundation

15 Ventilation

15.1 General

15.2 Guidelines for fresh air supply quantities

15.3 Quality of air

15.4 Atmospheric monitoring

15.5 Unoccupied tunnels and stagnant areas

15.6 Hazardous gases

15.7 Ventilation systems and plant

15.8 Ventilation in drill and blast tunnelling

15.9 Cooling through ventilation

15.10 Ventilation of shafts

16 Dust, particulates and other contaminants

16.1 Importance of dust control

16.2 Effects of dust

16.3 Exposure limits for dust

16.4 Sampling

16.5 Control and removal of dust

16.6 Respiratory protective equipment (RPE)

16.7 Asbestos

16.8 Diesel particulate matter (DPM)

16.9 Fumes from cutting and welding

16.10 Spray-applied membranes

16.11 Other ground contaminants

16.12 Heat strain

17 Quality of illumination

17.1 General

17.2 Level of lighting

17.3 Type of lighting

17.4 Siting of luminaires

17.5 Emergency lighting

17.6 Fire hardening of wiring

17.7 Hand lamps and cap lamps

17.8 High visibility clothing

18 Operating communications

18.1 General

18.2 Communication systems

18.3 Signals

18.4 Closed‑circuit television (CCTV)

18.5 Emergency response

19 Noise and vibration

19.1 General

19.2 Noise emission and exposure

19.3 Vibration

20 Shafts, pits and piles

20.1 General

20.2 Design

20.3 Locating shafts

20.4 Safety considerations relating to shaft construction

20.5 Shaft construction techniques and operation

20.6 Lifting in shafts

20.7 Protective structures in shafts

20.8 Pit bottom safety

20.9 Plant safety

20.10 Services in shafts

20.11 Inclined shafts and escalator shafts

20.12 Transport systems for inclined shafts

20.13 Disused shafts

20.14 Tunnel eye

20.15 Removal of temporary rings and panels of d-walls

20.16 Shaft top layout

20.17 Personnel access

20.18 Communication

21 Lifting equipment and operations

21.1 Lift plan

21.2 Cranes

21.3 Winches

21.4 Materials hoists

21.5 Communication

21.6 Lifting of persons

21.7 Arch and mesh installation

21.8 Lifting with excavators

21.9 Visual and/or audible alarms

22 Access

22.1 Walkways

22.2 Stair and ladder towers

22.3 Access for maintenance

22.4 Gradients

22.5 Temporary tunnels

22.6 Working at height in tunnels and shaft

23 Materials handling systems

23.1 Rail haulage

23.2 Operational considerations

23.3 Conveyors

23.4 Slurry transport systems

23.5 Personal protective equipment

23.6 Other haulage methods

23.7 Adits and inclines

23.8 Storage and disposal of excavated material

24 Tunnel plant

24.1 General

24.2 Separation of vehicles and pedestrians

24.3 Rubber-tyred free-steered vehicles

24.4 Crawler tracked plant

24.5 Pneumatically-powered plant and equipment

24.6 Hydraulically operated plant or equipment

24.7 Electrically-powered plant and equipment

24.8 Internal combustion engines

24.9 Battery power

24.10 Concreting plant

24.11 Water drainage pumps

24.12 Drilling and piling rigs

24.13 Grouting equipment

24.14 Earthmoving plant

24.15 MEWPs

25 Electrical

25.1 Company and site management hierarchy

25.2 Planning, management and control of the electrical system

25.3 The management system

25.4 Training and competence

25.5 Safe system of work

25.6 Mains supply connection

25.7 Site installations

25.8 Cables

25.9 Joints and terminations

25.10 Transformers and switchgear in tunnels

25.11 Electrical plugs and sockets

25.12 Lighting installations

25.13 Electric motors

25.14 Laser products

25.15 Generators

26 Maintenance, renovation and repair

26.1 General

26.2 Asset management

26.3 Preparation for renovation or repair

26.4 On‑site procedures for renovation and repair

26.5 Work in shafts

26.6 Temporary works

26.7 Record of work

Bibliography

BS 6164:2019

Health and safety in tunnelling in the construction industry. Code of practice

Current, Under Review

Published:

31 Oct 2019