Trenchless construction: Risk assessment and management

The rationale for specifying and/or electing to use trenchless construction techniques rather than trenched methods is based upon a combination of construction, service and economic factors. With trenchless technology, as with all other forms of construction, the benefits of the proposed technique must be balanced out against the risks which the technology entails. In this paper a variety of techniques are described for assessing risk in the context of trenchless construction as well as managing the identified risks in a cost-effective manner. Suggestions are made for establishing contingency arrangements in the event of failure. Some general aspects of the techniques/suggestions described are illustrated using brief case histories.