Abstract: Employee #1, an assistant Container Department manager, stepped directly from a dock to a set of stairs and turned about 90 degrees. The tread surface--up-raised metal designed to minimize slipping--may actually have caused Employee #1's right shoe to 'hang up' on contact. Employee #1 remembers his ankle turning and his full weight landing on his right ankle, resulting in a severe compound fracture. He was taken to Mercy General Hospital by ambulance, where a number of intricate surgeries were performed to insert pins and plates in his ankle. It is estimated that it will be 10 to 12 months before Employee #1 will walk normally. There were no violations established.