Abstract: On January 6, 2010, Employee #1, a Home Depot worker, was creating a retail bathroom display. Employee #1 was securing a toilet to an 8.17-foot-long metal shelf by tightening a screw through a hole in the toilet's base. While drilling, Employee #1 was standing on an A-frame, 8-foot Werner ladder. As Employee #1 was drilling, the shelf collapsed. Employee #1 fell off the ladder and through the metal shelves, which could not support him. Employee #1 was admitted to Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, and was released on January 11. Employee #1 suffered fractured ribs and subcutaneous emphysema. Treatment included a chest tube and pain medication. An investigation revealed that the employer, Home Depot, thought the worker should have used an aerial lift to safely do the job. Employee #1 was not properly positioned on the ladder, since his waist and upper body extended beyond the side rail of the ladder. This violated the manufacturer's guidelines, which stated that the center of the waistline or body center needed to be kept between the side rails of the ladder.