Abstract: Employees #1 and #2 were engaged in a boring operation for installing telephone cable conduit. They had excavated two trenches: a boring pit and a receiving pit. They then dug an approximately 5 ft 6 in. wide by 12 ft long trench, which was 6 to 6 1/2 ft deep at its northern end and 8 1/2 to 9 ft deep at its southern end, to locate a gas main that was in the boring path just outside the boring pit. After locating the gas main in the trench, the employees dug 1 ft deeper with a backhoe. When they got back into the trench to uncover the main with shovels, the east side wall of the trench caved in. Employee #1 was buried to his knees and Employee #2 to his chest. Both employees were dug out and transported by ambulance to the hospital. The trench was neither shored nor sloped.