Abstract: At approximately 4:20 a.m. on June 13, 1996, Employee #1, a construction worker, was seen by his supervisor welding inside the cofferdam around the foundation of the Badger Avenue Bridge. He was working at heights varying between 2 ft and 7 ft above the water. At 4:30 a.m., he was found dead, floating face down in the water. The Los Angeles coroner listed the cause of death as drowning. The areas in which Employee #1 had been working had no railings or other fall protection devices. Employee #1 was wearing a Type III personal flotation device, the label inside the vest stated that "this device is not designed to turn an unconscious wearer face up in the water...its design provides a stable position in calm water for persons floating with the head tilted back."