Abstract: At approximately 9:00 a.m. on March 11, 1988, Employees #1 and #2 were about 70 ft above the ground sandblasting a water tower when the suspension pivot point mechanism on the platform system failed. Employees #1 and #2 were wearing safety belts with the safety lanyard connected to the suspension platform. They were not, however, connected to a separate point on the suspension system, and they fell to the ground. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 was hospitalized. The suspension platform had not been designed or constructed by a competent person. No engineering drawings were available. The primary cause of the accident was the failure of the suspension pivot point mechanism.