Abstract: At approximately 9:30 a.m. on September 13, 2001, Employee #1 was using a shovel to square off the sides of a trench that was 45 inches wide and 4 feet deep in a class "C" sandy soil. One employee was operating a Ramax multi-quip compactor machine, having Serial Number 31382, a few feet from Employee #1. The Ramax compactor was a rental from Sunstate Equipment Company. A wall fence measuring 36 feet in length and 98 inches high from the bottom of the trench to the top of the wall was on the South side of the trench. The bottom of the trench was even with the bottom of the wall foundation. The stability of the wall was endangered by the excavation and compaction operations. Employee #1's employer did not provide a support system, such as bracing, shoring or underpinning, to protect employees. The wall collapsed, pinning two employees, including Employee #1, between the wall and the side of the trench. The position of the Ramax compactor in the trench and some blocks that became wedged between the collapsed wall and top of the trench kept the wall from fatally crushing the two employees. The other employee received minor injuries. Employee #1 spent six days in Saint Francis hospital for broken ribs and had a ruptured spleen removed.