Abstract: Employee #1, a mechanic, was called in from the field to the site to change a defective hydraulic cylinder on a Blaw-Knox asphalt paver. When he arrived, he inspected the equipment and discovered the hydraulic cylinder was leaking fluid. The foreman and the operator helped him use a sling to rig up the wings of the hopper so that he could get to the cylinder. He attached the ends of the sling to the shafts of two bolts, one 3/8 in. and the other 5/8 in. He put his head between the wing hopper and the ledge of the equipment and removed the cylinder, which he took back to the shop for repairs. When he returned, he started to put the repaired cylinder on the equipment, but was having difficulty replacing the pin. He then came out from the paver and asked the operator to lower the wings, which the operator did until Employee #1 told him to stop. Apparently, the foreman was inside the hopper at this time and he helped Employee #1 insert the pin into the cylinder. The operator stated that several minutes later he heard a bang. The come-along or sling had popped loose and the hopper wings had fallen. One of the wings struck Employee #1 on the head, killing him. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 3/8 in. bolt had fractured, which freed the come-along and allowed the wings of the hopper to fall. Employee #1 had not blocked or cribbed the wings.