Abstract: Three employees were relocating an underground power line. They were working in a 1.2-meter-wide by 18.3-meter-long trench that varied in depth from 1.6 to 2.1 meters. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., the supervisor told the other two employees to exit the trench and to begin cleaning up. About 15 minutes later, Employee #1 was standing on the trench benching slightly below grade while to his north, the supervisor was operating a John Deere loader-backhoe. As the supervisor raised the loader's front bucket, the rear bucket swung around and struck Employee #1 on the head. He suffered contusions and lacerations and was not breathing when emergency medical services arrived several minutes later. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.