Abstract: Employee #1 was in a 6 ft long by 4 ft wide trench that had been cut to a depth of 6 ft by a backhoe. He was using a shovel to dig away from the valve pit to locate the 4 in. drain opening that was at the bottom of the outside of the pit at a depth of 10 ft. Before the trench was shored, it caved in on Employee #1, burying his head under several inches of earth. The backhoe operator, who was digging down to the 4 in. drain with the backhoe, uncovered Employee #1 to his waist. The rescue squad removed Employee #1 from the trench approximately 80 minutes after the cave-in. He was transported to Erlanger Hospital, where he was treated and released the same day.