General excavation removes soil or rock from one place and transfers it to another. It typically involves using heavy machinery such as bulldozers, backhoes, and excavators.

Site preparation is a common form of general excavation that includes clearing land for construction projects such as roads or buildings. It involves removing trees, brush, stumps, and other debris from the area in order to make way for development plans.

Rock blasting may also be used during site preparation if large rocks in the area need to be removed before construction can begin. Blasting is a controlled explosion using dynamite or other explosives which breaks up large rocks into smaller pieces.

Excavation may also include trenching, which requires digging long, narrow trenches for various purposes, including laying down pipes for plumbing systems, drainage systems, or electrical lines for underground utility installation services.

Soil stabilization techniques are often incorporated with general excavation when dealing with soft soils like clay which tend to shift around under load pressure caused by vehicle movement over them.

Finally, general excavation might also involve demolition work where old structures & infrastructure needs to be cleared away before new construction takes place on-site.

Obtaining permits

Before any ground can be broken, a contractor must acquire all applicable permits from the local government or other relevant authorities that allow excavation to take place on the site in question.

Creating an access road

A reliable and safe access road should be built to provide necessary access for workers, equipment, and materials onto the construction site if one does not already exist.

Securing utility lines

All utility lines around the work area (gas, water, and power) should be identified and marked before work begins to prevent accidents during excavation operations.

Clearing vegetation

All trees, shrubs, or other plants located within the boundaries of the worksite will need to be cleared away, so they do not interfere with construction activities later on down the line.

Strip-topsoil layer

The top layers of soil must then be removed by scraping off excess soil until only a shallow layer remains.

Grading surface

Once stripped, the remaining soils left behind must then be graded level using heavy earth-moving equipment. This allows for large amounts of material, such as aggregate base course or subbase material, to fill it up before concrete pouring or asphalt paving, respectively.

Compacting surface

After grading has been completed, contractors need to ensure compaction levels meet specific requirements set out by regulators or simply client expectations via vibratory plate compactors or rollers.

Establishing Grade stakes

Grade stakes may also have been installed prior to excavation operations commencing or afterward - depending on clients' preference to assist machine operators when digging trenches, etcetera.