Abstract: Four telephone line workers were lashing a new cable to an existing telephone line. The existing line was attached to one utility pole at one end and ran across a ravine and a driveway to another utility pole. Three fir trees were growing on the side of the ravine. The new telephone cable caught in the limbs of one of the trees. One of the employees climbed the 1.2-meter-diameter tree, using its limbs as hand and foot holds. He was not using any fall protection equipment. The employee freed the cable and leaned out to release it clear of the remaining limbs. The limb he was standing on broke, and the employee fell 6.1 to 7.6 meters to the ground. He was hospitalized with four cracked ribs and a small hole in his right lung.