Abstract: Employee #1 was welding a metal stairway that was being held in place by an hydraulic crane. He had a four inch weld on top and a two inch weld on the bottom of the stairway. Slack was let in the cable so that the crane could be turned loose. Just as he was getting ready to undo the cable from the stairway, the weld broke, dropping the stairway about 5 ft until the slack of the cable was gone. When stairway came to the end of the taut cable, Employee #1 lost his balance and fell 7 ft off the stairway onto the concrete floor, striking his head. He was taken by paramedics to Saint Mark's Hospital, where he was admitted.