Marc Bunel's tunneling shield enabled tunnels to be dug faster and with greater safety for the workforce. Men at the "face" quarried away rock, earth and sand, passing it back to other workers, who shovelled it into sacks or baskets, which were then taken up to the surface. The shield was driven forward in stages by jacks, and the tunnel behind was then properly shored up and then lined with bricks. Shields based more or less on the original Brunel design are still used today and the Channel Tunnel was constructed using such modern tunneling shields.