Abstract: At approximately 1:40 p.m. on September 17, 1987, Employees #1 and #2, of Todd-Gary, Inc., Baltimore, MD, were installing 8 in. PVC sewer pipe in a 13 ft deep by 3 ft wide (at the bottom) by 25 ft long trench. The trench was comprised of soft, unstable, loamy sand soil (81 percent sand, 16 percent silt, and 3 percent clay). One side of the trench wall caved in and completely buried Employee #1, who had been bent over. He was killed. Employee #2 was hospitalized. There were several causal factors related to this accident: A steel trench shield was on site but was not in use during the trenching operation; an exit was not provided; the employees were not wearing personal protective equipment; the spoil pile was not retained 2 ft from the edge; and the employees were not trained in hazard recognition.