What is hand-thrown spoil (smakgrond)?
Smakgrond is a Dutch term for spoil that a labourer can throw straight out of a trench or excavation onto the bank with a shovel or spade in a single stroke. It dates from the time when Dutch ditches, canals and polders were dug by hand by gangs of navvies, known as polderjongens. The verb smakken means to fling or hurl.
Benching and relay throwing
There is a limit to how high a person can throw soil. According to the Dutch textbook Waterbouwkunde by Bolderman and Dwars (1968), once the lift exceeded 1.5 m an intermediate step, a bench, was cut into the side. A second labourer stood there to catch the soil on his spade and throw it on up. This relay was called haken.
The distinction mattered for planning and pricing: hand-thrown spoil was moved in one operation, while relayed or barrowed spoil took more labour per cubic metre.
Application
Today an excavator does almost all of this work, but the term helps when reading old specifications, polder records and civil engineering literature. If you dig by hand yourself, say a cable trench or a small pond, the same logic still applies:
- Place spoil beside the trench, not right on the edge: leave a clear strip so the extra weight does not collapse the side.
- Step deeper trenches. A bench makes throwing easier and reduces the risk of collapse.
- Support deep excavations. Beyond a certain depth the sides must be battered back to a safe natural slope or supported; follow HSE guidance on excavation work.
Common mistake: tipping spoil right at the edge of the trench. It loads the side wall, and in rain the soil slides straight back in.
Related terms
- Ditch
- Berm in construction
- Shovels and spades
- Excavator
- Polder
- Natural slope
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