Abstract: At approximately 8:30 a.m. on October 20, 1998, Employee #1 and a coworker were installing a water main. A backhoe operator had just finished excavating and was beginning to use his bucket, with an attached chain and hook, as a crane to lift two large steel road plates into position as shoring. The south plate was set first, followed by the north plate. Both Employee #1 and the coworker then went into the excavation to install braces between the two plates. During this process, the plate on the north wall began to fall to the south, toward them. The coworkers ran, but Employee #1 became pinned on the right side, near his waist. The backhoe operator immediately rehooked the plate and pulled it off. Employee #1 was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital in Staten Island, NY, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 2:00 p.m.