Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Study Guide for Exam Success!

Minimizing trenching injuries primarily involves adhering to proper trench wall angle guidelines. These guidelines are based on the principles of soil mechanics and ensure that trench walls are stable, reducing the risk of collapse. When trenches are excavated, the weight of the soil can create tremendous pressure on the walls; if the walls are not sloped at the appropriate angle, this can lead to a sudden failure, causing serious injuries or fatalities.

By following these guidelines, workers can be protected from cave-ins, which are one of the leading hazards associated with trench work. Trench wall angles vary depending on the type of soil present, and proper training and adherence to safety protocols help ensure that workers are safely operating within the excavation.

The other options represent practices that would increase the risk of injury. Having no safety regulations would create an unsafe work environment, inadequate shoring methods would fail to provide the necessary support for trench walls, and ignoring soil type categorization would overlook critical factors that inform safe excavation techniques.