Abstract: Employee #1 had been hired as a bridge painter in the morning and was given 15 to 30 minutes of on-the-job training by a coworker. Employee #1 was to paint the outside face of the bridge's fascia girder. He was to tie his lanyard to a moveable 12 ft long, 5/8 in. steel bar that was to be placed through a 13/18 in. hole in the bridge's stiffener plates. When Employee #1 hooked into the bar he would then lean back, using his safety belt improperly for support purposes. Approximately 1 1/2 hours after he had been hired, Employee #1's lanyard pulled the bar out of the 17th stiffener plate hole as Employee #1 moved to the right to continue painting. Employee #1, not realizing that the bar was not secure, leaned back to paint and fell. While he was falling he bent the bar toward the ground and slid down it, dropping off the bar at an approximate height of 20 ft. Employee #1 landed on his feet and then fell onto his elbows and back, fracturing both elbows and straining his back. He was hospitalized for his injuries.