Abstract: Employee #1, a 19-year-old drywall helper, had been instructed to do light finish sanding on the fourth floor of a new four-story residential building. He started to sand the interior of the elevator shaft. The entry to the shaft was unguarded except for a single 2 by 4 nailed across it at a height of approximately 40 in. When Employee #1 leaned against the 2 by 4, it gave way. He fell approximately 40 ft to the bottom of the pit, which was filled with an approximately 2 ft tall pile of cartons. Employee #1 suffered back, hip, and internal injuries, and was hospitalized. There were no other guardrails and no toe-boards to guard the elevator shaft opening. Employee #1 was working alone at the time of the accident.