Every time you dig a trench, you are putting workers at risk. As the trench gets deeper, the risks get higher and the more management practices are needed to make sure the trenching is being done safely.
Two workers are killed every month, on average, in trench collapses in the U.S., according to OSHA. The agency sites “economic pressures, a belief that compliance is unnecessary or an expectation that these short-term operations will go undetected” as key reasons why regulations are not followed, even after years of emphasis.
Any trench 5 feet or deeper requires a protective system: benching, sloping, shoring, or
