Trenching and excavation can be extremely dangerous. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the walls of any trench will eventually collapse — it’s merely a matter of time. Therefore, trenches should only be open for a period of minutes or hours (at a maximum). Unfortunately, however, a trench’s apparent stability is often enough for a contractor to send workers into a dangerous trench in hopes of fast progress and financial gain. Serious injury or death is too often the result of prioritizing profit over safety.