Abstract: At approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 23, 2000, Employees #1 and #2 were fixing a broken sewer pipe in a 10 to 14 ft deep by 8 ft 6 in. to 10 ft 3 in. wide trench. Normally after the employees' company installed sewer lines, the utility company would send a camera through the pipe to determine if it had been laid at the correct height and angle. The utility company had notified the employer that several sections of pipe had been positioned incorrectly. On October 21, the company had dug a trench and repaired one section of pipe. On October 23, the company backfilled that trench and dug another trench just to the east. The trenches were in an area that had been wetlands, and the soil had been hauled in. The second trench had water in the bottom, and the crew installed a pump to remove it. The sewer pipe was being moved to the specified position when it was struck by the excavator and a portion of it had to be replaced. Employees #1 and #2 were working on the broken section of pipe when the south wall of the trench collapsed on them. Employee #1 was buried up to his chest and pinned against the north wall; Employee #2 was completely buried. Both died of asphyxia. No type of protective system was in use. The trench walls were not sloped, benched, or shored, apparently because there was a roadway curb on the north side and a gas line on the south. The trench was located in previously excavated soil, as indicated by the presence of sewer pipes and gas lines in the immediate area.