Trench Support Systems

Application

Overview Case Studies

Mabey Hire rolling strut box on site in the ground

Mabey Hire trench box on site in the ground

Mabey Hire groundworks cofferdam on site

Built for safe, compliant excavations

Trench support systems hold the sides of an excavation in place, protecting the people working inside it and the structures around it.

Mabey Hire is more than an equipment supplier. We pair one of the UK’s largest fleets of trench support equipment with in-house engineering, certified on-site installation, and real-time monitoring.

From an off-the-shelf trench box for a straightforward job to bespoke excavation support for deep or high-load sites, we can oversee the whole project from design through to dismantle.

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Which trench support system does your job need?

Long, repetitive runs for water, gas, power, or telecoms need support that keeps pace with the dig without slowing the work down. Trench boxes and shields drop straight in and move forward with the excavation, and where runs get deeper or the ground is poor, trench sheets and sheet piles hold the faces securely.

Check out: Trench Boxes, Trench Sheets & Sheet Piles

Deep basements, pumping stations, and shafts carry high ground loads and often need bracing on several levels. Our bracing frames and large-span systems, including Shaftbrace and Supershaft Plus, support excavations well beyond routine depths while keeping enough clear working room inside.

Check out: Bracing Frames, Walers & Struts

Tight city-centre sites, limited craneage, and work over live services call for support that can be handled without heavy lifting gear. Lightweight aluminium shoring, including the Aluminium Trench Shield and MAP Box, installs quickly by hand or with smaller plant and adapts to awkward spaces.

Check out: Lightweight & Aluminium Shoring

Digging close to foundations, party walls, or dense buried services brings a real risk of ground settlement affecting what’s around the excavation. We can work closely with you on on a bespoke design and pair this with real-time monitoring. Any movement will be picked up early and neighbouring assets stay protected.

Check out: Bespoke Designs, Structural Monitoring

Mabey Hire supershaft plus excavation bracing frame on site

Complete range of trench support systems

Our groundworks range spans every element of trench support. Allowing you to hire a complete system from a single supplier and keep everything compatible on site.

How can we support your project?

Standard equipment & simple hire

Need standard trench boxes, shields, or props delivered fast? Access a large fleet of off-the-shelf trench support equipment for straightforward projects with rapid turnaround times.

Bespoke engineering & custom design

Facing highly complex ground conditions, heavy structural loads, or tight urban constraints? Our in-house engineering teams provide full calculations and custom-tailored layout designs from scratch.

Certified on-site installation

Don’t risk safety liabilities or structural delays. Our fully certified, RISQS and CHAS accredited teams handle the delivery, setup, and dismantling on site.

FAQs

When is a trench support system legally required on a UK site?

Trench support is required wherever there’s a risk of collapse, and that risk exists at any depth. There’s no depth threshold that removes the need for it: the old 1.2m rule came from prescriptive 1966 regulations and no longer applies. Instead, the HSE requires the risk to be assessed on every excavation, based on ground and soil conditions, weather, and nearby loads, structures or services. Because collapses have proved fatal even in shallow trenches, support should be planned in from the start.

What safety and regulatory compliance standards do your systems meet?

Our health and safety systems are certified to ISO 45001, and we hold RISQS, CHAS and Constructionline accreditations. We work within the CDM 2015 framework and provide the calculations, certificates and documentation your temporary works process needs for sign-off.

Do you provide design services or just equipment hire?

Both. We can quote for a simple hire of standard kit, or bring us in for as much as you need: planning, design, supply, installation and monitoring. Low-risk jobs can use pre-engineered MyConstruct designs and complex sites can request a bespoke design from our engineers.

What are the main types of trench support systems available?

There are four main types: trench boxes and shields for straight trenches, lightweight and aluminium shoring for restricted access, trench sheets and sheet piles for deeper or higher-load digs, and bracing frames, walers and struts for shafts and large excavations. Many projects combine them.

How do I know if my project needs a standard solution or a bespoke engineering design?

Straightforward, lower-risk excavations in stable ground usually suit standard equipment or a pre-engineered MyConstruct design. Deeper or complex ground, heavy nearby loads, or work close to existing structures needs a bespoke design. Reach out to us using the form below with as much information around the depth, dimensions, and ground conditions, and we will advise.

How quickly can equipment be delivered and deployed on-site?

Standard equipment is stocked across our nationwide depot network, so simple hires can reach site quickly. This will depend on your location and the availability of products. Equipments for complex sites will take longer, as this involve design and, where needed, installation. Reach out to us as early as possible and we will plan this with you.