Abstract: On January 28, 1997, Employee #1 was working in a 12 ft deep trench. He was attempting to remove grappling hooks from a pipe in a part of the trench that did not have cave-in protection. The west wall of the unprotected trench collapsed and buried Employee #1 under approximately 304 yards of dirt. He was rescued by two coworkers and by the local fire department. Employee #1suffered multiple injuries, including compression fractures to the vertebrae in his back. The employer's written procedures did not address safe methods for using grappling hooks, nor did the employer provide competent personnel training.