Areas of heavy pedestrian, or vehicular traffic, will require increased protection. Materials used for shoring must be in good serviceable condition. Additional shoring and bracing precautions shall be taken to prevent slides, or cave-ins, when operation is adjacent to areas such as backfills, railroad or highway traffic, or heavy machinery operations. All long-range projects, left open for future work, must provide protection for persons, and protection from adverse weather conditions. Smoking, or open flames, are not permitted in trenches and other excavations.
Water is one of the biggest factors in cave-ins.