Your employer is required to use adequately designed protective systems to protect you from cave-ins and other hazards in excavations, except in two specific cases:

• When the excavation is made entirely in stable rock.
• When the excavation is less than 5 feet (1.52 meters) deep and a competent person has examined the ground and found no indication of a potential cave-in.

For trenches 5 feet deep or greater, a protective system such as sloping, shoring, or shielding must be in place unless the excavation is entirely in stable rock

. If the excavation is less than 5 feet deep, the need for protection is determined by a competent person’s assessment of the soil stability

. These requirements are mandated by OSHA standards (29 CFR 1926.651 and 1926.652) to ensure worker safety during trenching and excavation operations

. In summary, protective systems are not required if the excavation is entirely in stable rock or is less than 5 feet deep and deemed safe by a competent person. Otherwise, protective measures must be implemented to prevent cave-ins and other hazards.