Abstract: At 12:30 a.m. on October 8, 2019, an employee and a coworker who was training him climbed up to a runway and were preparing to climb a 7-rung fixed ladder to access another runway when the employee stepped backwards into a hole in the runway and fell of approximately 7 feet to a lower level. The runway was approximately 12 feet long and 39 inches wide. The hole in the runway was approximately 21 inches by 21 inches and located next to the fixed ladder. The runway is accessed on a routine basis to clear jams of ice cream product. No guardrails or any other means of fall protection was utilized. The employees were trained on topics such as fall protection and safe ladder use. The employee suffered a broken vertebrae and was hospitalized for one week. The employee was also prescribed a back brace.