What Is Shoring in Construction? A 2026 Guide for Hiring Teams

Last updated October 5, 2026 · Compiled from Amundson Group placement records and public market data.

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Shoring in construction is the temporary support of soil, trench walls, formwork, or an existing structure so work can continue safely until the permanent structure can carry the load on its own. It is a temporary, engineered safety control. It is removed once the permanent work is in place, which is why it is often invisible in the finished product and so visible in the schedule, the budget, and the safety record.

Shoring in construction, defined

Put simply, shoring holds things up or holds things back while the real work happens. It does one or both of two jobs: it resists lateral soil pressure so an excavation does not cave in, and it carries vertical loads so a wall, slab, or structure stays put while it is being altered, repaired, or built. On heavy civil, site development, tunnel, rail, and wastewater projects, shoring is often the first thing installed and the last thing pulled.

Where shoring shows up on a job site

Shoring is most common wherever the ground is opened up or an existing structure is disturbed. Typical use cases include:

• Excavation support for foundations, utility corridors, and deep basements
• Trench safety on water, sewer, storm, and dry utility installation
• Underpinning when a foundation is extended or an adjacent structure must be protected
• Demolition, where walls or floors lose their original support mid-sequence
• Stabilization of damaged, cut, or altered walls during renovation or repair

Common shoring systems

Crews choose a system based on soil type, excavation depth, water table, adjacent structures, and how long the opening will stay open. The systems a project engineer or foreman will see most often are:

• Trench boxes and shields, which protect workers inside the trench rather than supporting the soil itself
• Hydraulic shoring, aluminum or steel rails and cylinders pressed against trench walls
• Sheet piling, interlocking steel sheets driven into the ground to form a retaining wall
• Posts and props, vertical members that carry floor, slab, or formwork loads
• Dead shores, which carry vertical loads from above when a wall or section is removed
• Flying shores, horizontal supports spanning between two parallel walls over an open space

When shoring is required

Under OSHA’s excavation standard, a protective system such as shoring, shielding, or sloping is generally required once an excavation reaches 5 feet or deeper, and sooner if a competent person on site sees any risk of collapse. Where sloping or benching is not workable because of space, soil, or nearby structures, shoring is usually the answer. The competent person designation matters: that individual must be able to identify hazards and has the authority to stop work and correct them.

What shoring experience tells a hiring manager

On a resume or in an interview, shoring experience is shorthand for a specific skill set. A candidate who has owned shoring on a project can usually handle:

• Excavation safety and trench protection, including daily inspections and soil classification
• Reading shoring plans, shop drawings, and engineered protective system designs
• Coordinating with geotechnical engineers, utility locators, and the shoring supplier
• Sequencing work so shoring is installed, inspected, and removed without delaying crews
• Documenting competent person duties and inspection records for owner and regulatory review

For superintendents, project engineers, and foremen on heavy civil, site development, tunnel, and wastewater work, we treat shoring fluency as a core screening topic. We ask candidates to walk through a specific excavation: the depth, the soil, the system they chose, what went wrong, and what they changed. Vague answers are a signal. Specific ones are a credential.

How Amundson Group fits in

Amundson Group is a Houston-headquartered, veteran-owned construction recruiting firm and an Inc. 5000 honoree in 2024 and 2025. We recruit for heavy civil, site development, data center, rail, tunnel, and wastewater contractors nationwide, placing superintendents, project managers, project engineers, estimators, schedulers, foremen, skilled trades, and construction executives. Houston, Texas is our only office, and we serve clients in all 50 states from it. Amundson Group does not place commercial, energy or oil and gas roles.

To date we have made 1,200+ construction placements across a network of 90,000+ construction professionals, with an average of 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume. If you need a field leader who has actually owned a shoring plan, you can start a search with our team. If you are benchmarking pay for excavation and trench safety roles, our construction salary guide is drawn straight from where the hiring happens, our recruiting desks, and cross-checked against BLS, AGC, ENR, and industry surveys.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between shoring and shielding?

Shoring supports the soil or structure itself so it cannot move. Hydraulic shores and sheet piling, for example, press against or retain the trench walls. Shielding, such as a trench box, does not stop the soil from moving. It protects the workers inside from a cave-in if the walls do fail. Both count as protective systems under OSHA’s excavation standard, and crews often use them together. On a resume, a candidate who understands when each is appropriate, and why, is demonstrating real trench safety judgment rather than just familiarity with the terms.

At what depth is shoring required in construction?

Under OSHA’s excavation standard, a protective system is generally required once an excavation reaches 5 feet or deeper. Shoring is one option alongside sloping, benching, and shielding. If space, soil conditions, or adjacent structures rule out sloping, shoring is typically what gets installed. The 5-foot threshold is not the only trigger. A competent person on site can require protection at any depth if they identify a collapse hazard, and that person has the authority to stop work until the hazard is corrected.

What is a competent person for shoring and excavation?

A competent person is the individual on site who can identify existing and predictable excavation hazards, including unstable soil and failing shoring, and who has the authority to take prompt corrective action, including stopping work. On most heavy civil, utility, and wastewater jobs this is a superintendent, foreman, or project engineer. When we screen candidates for those roles, we ask who held competent person duties on their last excavation and what daily inspections they performed. It is one of the clearest indicators of hands-on shoring experience.

Which construction roles need shoring experience?

Shoring experience matters most for superintendents, foremen, project engineers, and skilled trades on heavy civil, site development, utility, tunnel, and wastewater projects, where excavation and underpinning are routine. Estimators and schedulers also benefit, since shoring systems drive cost and sequencing. Amundson Group recruits for these roles nationwide from our Houston headquarters, drawing on a network of 90,000+ construction professionals. For pay ranges on field leadership roles, see our construction salary guide, which comes from our recruiting desks and is cross-checked against BLS, AGC, ENR, and industry surveys.

Start a search with Amundson Group. Average 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume.