To protect workers from wall collapse in an unshored excavation, install a(n) _____.

To protect workers from wall collapse in an unshored excavation, install a(n) _____.

• A. Bracing system
• B. Sheathing
• C. Shoring box
• D. Trench shield

Answer: (C)

When workers are inside an excavation that has no protective system in place, the soil can cave in. A shoring box provides immediate, internal support to the trench walls, acting as a rigid barrier that resists lateral earth pressure. This keeps the opening stable and safe for operation as the crew works or as the trench is widened. It’s prefabricated and portable, so you can install it quickly in unshored conditions and move it forward as the trench advances. Other options either provide lining without real wall support, require external braces, or mainly shield workers without offering the same level of structural resistance to the surrounding soil. The shoring box directly addresses the danger of wall collapse by reinforcing the trench walls themselves.

When workers are inside an excavation that has no protective system in place, the soil can cave in. A shoring box provides immediate, internal support to the trench walls, acting as a rigid barrier that resists lateral earth pressure. This keeps the opening stable and safe for operation as the crew works or as the trench is widened. It’s prefabricated and portable, so you can install it quickly in unshored conditions and move it forward as the trench advances. Other options either provide lining without real wall support, require external braces, or mainly shield workers without offering the same level of structural resistance to the surrounding soil. The shoring box directly addresses the danger of wall collapse by reinforcing the trench walls themselves.