Abstract: Employee #1, a laborer, and a coworker, a plumber, were working in a 5 ft deep trench installing an 18 in. diameter sewer pipe. At the same time, a Case 580 E backhoe was exerting downward hydraulic pressure on the backhoe bucket to position the unit over a pre-dug, shallow trench that was 2 ft deep. As the operator activated the left swing for the bucket, the backhoe's front and rear left wheels slid into the trench, raising the backhoe bucket, which then swung to the left and out of control. The swinging bucket struck Employee #1 in the chest and pinned him against the trench wall. He sustained fatal chest injuries. The causes of the accident were equipment instability over an existing trench, greasy soil, and the employee within the backhoe's swing radius.