Abstract: Employee #1 was in a 19 to 21 ft deep and 31 feet wide sewer line trench. The sides of the trench were slightly sloped. Employee #1 was aligning the laser and clearing dirt from the end of an 8 in. ductile sewer pipe. He was on his knees when a slick head kicked out of the side of the trench and he was completely buried. He was removed from the trench within 25 minutes. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a pelvis fracture in three places. The excavated dirt was piled high at the edge of the trench opposite the side that caved in. No ladder was available and hard hats were worn. Sloping was inadequate and no shoring or trench box was used. Employees were not adequately trained. The foreman was nearby in a manhole; a coworker was on the bank.