Abstract: At approximately 4:50 p.m. on December 20, 1994, Employee #1 and several coworkers were backfilling a garage retaining wall with gravel. They were using a skip loader to drop small rocks into a hopper, which then fed the load onto a conveyor belt. The hopper was installed in a leaning position for easy loading. According to witnesses, when the job was done Employee #1 walked to the leaning hopper, stood with his back next to it, and waited for the skip loader's bucket to hoist him above the hopper so that he could knock the residual rocks into the hopper with a shovel. His legs were crossed and his arms were behind his head, possibly resting on the hopper's brim. The hopper fell forward and struck Employee #1's neck. His coworkers used a shovel and the skip loader to lift the 1,000 pound funnel, but they were unable to revive him. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene and taken to the medical examiner's lab. The employer violated California safety and health standards and was issued a citation with penalty.