Abstract: A foreman and two laborers were performing surface preparation work before painting a three-story building that was about 12.2 meters high. The foreman and one of the laborers were working together on the west side of the building, repairing cracks in a wall. They were using a 6.1-meter-long aluminum extension ladder. The building was only 1.7 meters away from a perimeter wall. The perimeter wall was so close that the employees placed the bottom of the ladder in a neighbor's yard. The foreman was moving the ladder while the laborer helping him was watching the position of ladder on the building. The laborer was also holding the ladder with one hand. The ladder contacted a 4800-volt overhead power line. Both employees received electric shocks and sustained burns. The foreman died of his injuries more than a month after the accident, on September 25, 2000. The laborer was hospitalized with burns on his right hand and left elbow. The laborer stated that he did not know of the presence of the power line and was not given any warning about it.