Abstract: At 9:53 a.m. on July 10, 1987, Employee #1 was standing on the eighth rung of a 12 ft stepladder located at the bottom of an elevator shaft. He fell with the stepladder to the concrete floor of the shaft, striking his head just behind the right ear on the edge of a hole that had been cut in the floor for a sump pump. Employee #1 died during surgery the following day. Two coworkers were within 10 ft of Employee #1, but they were working with their backs toward him and did not see the fall. The ladder was new and in good condition. The footing appeared to be firm despite a thin layer of mud at the bottom of the shaft. Employee #1 was suffering from a severe sinus headache at the time of the accident and this may have been a contributing factor.