Abstract: At or about 4:37 p.m. on September 6, 1991, Employee #1 was helping a coworker spray the exterior wall with plasters. Employee #1 was pulling the hose backward on the first floor's balcony of the two story office building when he backed into the unguarded stairway opening. He fell backward about 8 feet to the ground, and landed on his back. The stairway was improperly guarded/covered with a large piece of plywood that was removed by other tradesmen to do their job. Employee #1 did not notice the missing guard. He sustained a minor back injury and was taken to the hospital and released the same day. The employer was found in violation of T8CCR 1632(a) and was cited accordingly.