Pit construction - Part two - Newton-le-Willows

After we had installed and secured our pan shutters, the dimensions were checked to ensure there had been no movement or mistakes. Once the concrete has been poured it would be a major job to move it.

The existing slab was then doweled with 16mm x 400mm and mesh fabric inserted to give our new walls and slab extra strength.

We had a heavy duty angle iron fabricated for our pit edge to ensure that it will never flake away and become unsightly. The angle iron was bolted to the pan shutters at our existing floor level.

Concrete was then poured. We used a poker to vibrate the concrete which draws out all the air and allows the concrete to travel in to any void. When ready, the concrete was given a powerfloat finish which allowed it to blend seamlessly in with the existing concrete slab.

After the concrete had some curing time we struck the shutters, cleaned any excess concrete off the angle iron, pan shutters and pit floor. The area will remain cordoned off for 8 days allowing for the concrete to fully cure and stop anybody falling down the open pit.