Abstract: At approximately 9:00 a.m. on September 12, 1998, Employee #1 was walking toward a canal after returning from a break. The weather was overcast, with a misty rain and drizzle. About 3 ft from the edge of the canal, Employee #1 lost his footing, landing on his buttocks. He slid over the edge and fell between 9 and 11 ft into the canal water. Two coworkers dove into the water to try to rescue him, but were unsuccessful; Employee #1 drowned. At the beginning of the work shift, the crew foreman had conducted a brief safety meeting. The foreman had said that the ground would be slippery because of the rain and that they would be working close to the edge of the canal, advising everyone to be careful. There was, however, no determination whether any of the crew were non-swimmers. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was wearing Kevlar cutting chaps, steel-toe safety boots, and a hard hat.