Abstract: At approximately 7:50 a.m. on August 24, 1993, Employee #1 was at the southwest corner of an excavation that was being dug for the construction of a tower anchor footing. Employee #1 was using a grade pole to see if the excavation that measured 9 ft wide by 15 ft long by 12 ft deep was deep enough. He was trying to check the grade toward the middle of the excavation but could not reach that point from where he was standing. To help Employee #1 reach that point, the backhoe operator positioned the backhoe bucket so that Employee #1 could put one foot on the bucket and one foot on the side of the excavation. In so doing, Employee #1 lost his balance and fell into the excavation. He suffered a fractured pelvis and various contusions and abrasions. Because the excavation sides were vertical and no employee was in or required to be in the excavation, there was no violation of safety standards.