Abstract: At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 8, 1992, six coworkers began repairing a damaged drain line. A backhoe was used to uncover the damaged pipe. A trench approximately 60 ft long, 8 ft wide, and 15 ft deep was dug. Throughout the day workers repeatedly entered and exited the trench to remove dirt from the pipe that the backhoe could not reach. The trench was straight-walled, and no shoring equipment was on site. Employees #1 and #2 were in the trench removing dirt from the pipe. The two were walking to the exit ladder when the trench wall collapsed. Employee #1 was buried and died of suffocation. Employee #2 was struck in the right leg, but received only minor injuries, which were treated on site. Causal factors included: (1) the lack of a trained, competent person to do inspections; (2) the lack of shoring equipment on site; and (3) the lack of employee training to recognize and avoid trenching/excavating hazards.