Shoring is required for excavations with a minimum depth of:

Shoring is required for excavations with a minimum depth of:

• A. 4'
• B. 5'
• C. 6'
• D. 7'

Answer: (B)

Shoring is a protective system used to keep trench walls from collapsing and injuring workers. In California, the rule requires a protective system to be in place once an excavation reaches the depth at which trench walls can no longer be relied on to stay stable. That regulatory trigger is five feet in depth. So when a trench is five feet deep or deeper and people enter it, shoring (or another approved protection method) must be provided. If the trench is shallower than that, protection isn’t mandated by depth, though other conditions can still require it. This threshold is why the correct answer points to five feet as the minimum depth for requiring shoring.

Shoring is a protective system used to keep trench walls from collapsing and injuring workers. In California, the rule requires a protective system to be in place once an excavation reaches the depth at which trench walls can no longer be relied on to stay stable. That regulatory trigger is five feet in depth. So when a trench is five feet deep or deeper and people enter it, shoring (or another approved protection method) must be provided. If the trench is shallower than that, protection isn’t mandated by depth, though other conditions can still require it. This threshold is why the correct answer points to five feet as the minimum depth for requiring shoring.