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A father of five from the North Side was crushed to death Monday when a water-logged dirt wall collapsed as he dug a trench inside the garage of a McKees Rocks building.

Investigators from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will try to determine what caused the clay and soil to collapse, burying William Lee "Willy" Steadman, 37, up to his shoulders as he stood about 10 feet down in the hole. They

also will focus on whether his longtime employer -- American Contracting Enterprises Inc., which authorities said owns the building -- installed any protections to hold the dirt back.

Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Robert Full said he saw "no evidence of any shoring" of the walls. A roofer at the building said he suggested to Steadman on Friday that the dirt walls looked unstable.

"You could tell the ground was real soft and wet," said Ronald Orwig, 43, of McKees Rocks. "They didn't frame the hole. I told them they should put some two-by-fours in there or something."

Rescuers from McKees Rocks, Pittsburgh and the county pulled Steadman's body from the dirt about 3:30 p.m. Full said crews had to shore up the remaining walls of the trench and remove a concrete slab left dangling by the collapse before they could dig for Steadman's body.

Mary Steadman, 69, of St. Clair Village, remembered her son as a hard worker who had "done good for his five kids."

"I never thought he'd go down like this," she said crying as relatives flocked to her small home. "I just want him back."

Steadman was a supervisor for American Contracting, according to his brother-in-law, Myron Pennix.

Paramedics and firefighters were called to the building at 1101 Chartiers Ave. about 9:30 a.m. Steadman was operating a small backhoe as he and about four other men dug trenches in the floor of the garage to either install or service the sewer line, Full said.

Steadman got down into the trench and the wall gave way, Full said.

"Water was still flowing through, so that could have been involved," Full said of the collapse. "It could have been the backhoe, or it could have been a jackhammer causing vibrations in the soil. It's hard to tell."

Several co-workers tried to free Steadman. The first emergency crews to arrive saw that he was dead and cleared out the garage until more help arrived.

"It was just too unstable to get in there until we could shore it up," said McKees Rocks Assistant Fire Chief Charles Maritz.

OSHA regulations require the installation of some support system for any trench deeper than five feet. Depending on the type of soil, clay content and water levels, contractors can use physical barriers and supports or they can slope the walls and floor of the trench.

Robert Szymanski, director of OSHA's Pittsburgh office, said it is too early to determine whether the proper -- or any -- support was used. Investigators will test the soil at the garage, as they do in routine inspections of trench work sites.

"We do a lot of routine inspections for this very reason," he said. "It's very dangerous to work in unsupported trenches."

Officials with American Contracting could not be reached for comment. Orwig, who said he works for a company that is helping to renovate the building, said American Contracting recently bought the building and moved from the North Side.

Pennix, who worked with his brother-in-law, said Steadman was a well-liked and respected employee at the company for 20 years.

Steadman grew up on the North Side. He was the kind of father who proudly showed to co-workers photos of his five children -- ages 8 through 21 -- and two grandchildren.

"He loved his kids. He was a good man," Pennix said.

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