Abstract: At 1:00 p.m. on January 11, 2017, Employee #1 and Coworkers #1 and #2, employed by a construction company, were part of a pipe crew installing a 6-inch sludge line in an excavated trench at a sewer/water treatment plant. Employee #1 was in the trench, which measured 13 feet 2 inches deep where the work was to be performed. Coworker #1 was operating a CAT 214 excavator. Coworker #1 used the excavator and a chain to lift an 8-foot by 10-foot, 3,200-pound steel road plate into the trench. The plate was to be used as protection from shifting soil and cave-ins. Coworker #1 toed-in the bottom of the plate approximately 2 feet into the soil at the bottom of the trench. He then moved the excavator away from the trench to reduce the weight on the ground directly adjacent to the trench. The plate was positioned vertically in the trench for approximately 7 minutes when Employee #1 climbed into the trench. Coworker #2, the lead man on the crew, was at the top of the trench. He turned away from the trench to pick up a 4-inch by 4-inch steel tube strut to be used as bracing for the steel plate. Coworker #2 was going to hand the strut down to the laborer for installation. The steel road plate began tipping over toward Employee #1. The plate fell on Employee #1, pinning him in the trench between the ground/concrete structure and the plate. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was transported to the hospital. He was admitted and treated for crushing injuries to his back. Employee #1 was placed into a medically induced coma while medical personnel monitored the status of his pancreas. Employee #1 underwent surgery involving vein/artery grafting.