Abstract: At approximately 8:10 a.m., on February 4, 2002, Employee #1 and a coworker were drilling a 75-ft-deep hole at a construction site located in St. Pacific Palisades, California. Employee #1 was a "swapper" while the coworker was a drill rig operator. The hole was dug to approximately 13 ft in depth and was slightly larger than 45 in. in diameter. While the auger was still 8 ft inside the hole and as it was being raised by the coworker using the drill rig, the surrounding soil, which was 3 to 4 ft around the perimeter of the excavation hole became unstable and caved in. At the time of accident, Employee #1 was working approximately 4 ft away from the perimeter of the hole, thus he fell inside the hole as it caved in. Employee #1 was buried by soil over his head and became unconscious for an undetermined length of time. Employee #1 was extricated by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and transported to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center where he stayed for treatment of emotional trauma, a scrape on his left cheek, and dirt in his eyes for 2 hours. He was then released.