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Who must design a protective system for an excavation 20 feet deep or deeper?

A registered professional engineer must design it.

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  1. A registered professional engineer ✔
  2. Any competent worker
  3. The equipment operator

Why: OSHA says trenches 20 feet or deeper need a protective system designed by a registered professional engineer, or based on tabulated data an engineer prepared or approved.

Huh, didn't know that: Deeper excavations are more complex, so OSHA requires professional engineering input.

The dad joke
Why did the engineer design the deep trench? It was a registered professional decision.
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References

Answer: A registered professional engineer. OSHA says trenches 20 feet or deeper need a protective system designed by a registered professional engineer, or based on tabulated data an engineer prepared or approved.

  1. OSHA Trenching and Excavation fact sheet www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/trench_excavation_fs.pdf
    Trenches 20 feet (6.1 meters) deep or greater require that the protective system be designed by a registered professional engineer
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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