Abstract: At approximately 9:30 a.m. on July 18, 2002, Employee #1, a Maintenance Operations III worker of the Coast Unified School District in Cambria, California, was preparing classroom Number 502 for painting. He was standing on a 3 ft Saf-T-Master type III household stepladder, taping clear plastic to the rear door of the classroom. The ladder was on the exterior side of a doorway that led to the outside. It also stood within the swing of the door, which was propped open with a fire extinguisher. Employee #1 was descending the ladder when the door started to close. He was startled by the sudden movement and his foot missed the step, causing him to fall to the ground. A coworker in classroom Number 502 heard Employee #1's cry for help and went to his assistance. Employee #1 suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and was transported to Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo, where he underwent surgery to repair his knee.