Question
Your crew needs to work inside a trench that will be 6 feet deep in soil that has never been disturbed before. The foreman says a protective system is optional unless someone asks for one. Is that correct, and why or why not?
Tap card to flipAnswer
No. Any excavation 5 feet deep or more requires a protective system (sloping, shoring, or shielding) unless a competent person determines the excavation is entirely in stable rock. At 6 feet the trigger depth is already exceeded, so a protective system is mandatory, not optional or discretionary — waiting for someone to request one is backwards; the requirement is automatic once the 5-foot threshold is crossed and stable rock isn't present.
Tap card to flip back