Abstract: At approximately 10:35 a.m. on December 11, 1986, Employees #1 through #3 were in a 6 ft trench using a wheel pipe cutter to make the second cut on a 6 in. metal gas pipe that was to be replaced. The 900 psi pressure inside the pipe had supposedly been reduced at two points, and the section of pipe to be cut was between these two points. The first cut had been completed approximately 15 ft from the point of the second one, but when the employees cut into the pipe they felt the highly pressurized contents being released. As the employees exited the trench, the pipe ruptured, striking Employee #1 and knocking Employee #3 to the ground. Employee #1 sustained a broken back and Employee #2 was struck by flying dust and debris. Employees #2 and #3 suffered from minor cuts and foreign particles in the eyes.