Abstract: On September 7, 2011, Employee #1, a Technician with RC's Mechanical Services, was sent to repair a restaurant grill exhaust fan on the roof of a two-story building. He did not find a safe roof access and informed his employer by phone. Employee #1 was directed by a restaurant worker to climb an 8-ft stepladder, crawl into a passage way, and use an old fixed wood ladder to access the roof. At approximately 11 a.m., Employee #1 completed the repair of the equipment and began descending the wood ladder. When the ladder separated from the wall, he fell approximately 15 ft, struck a metal awning, and fell another 12.5 ft to a courtyard. Employee #1 was hospitalized for a bruised left lung and fractures of his upper left arm and two ribs. The investigation revealed that the wood ladder was rotten, a condition that may have been concealed by subsequent painting.