Abstract: At approximately 11:20 a.m. on December 20, 1996, Employee #1 and a coworker were installing metal flashing on a wall that was located on a roof. Within 2 ft of the wall there was a 53 in. by 57 in. by 10 in. high mechanical duct opening that was partially covered with plywood. A 42 in. by 42 in. wooden pallet covered the other part of the opening. The employees were squatting between the opening and the wall to install the metal flashing when Employee #1 sat back onto or bumped the pallet. He and the pallet fell through the opening and dropped 59 ft onto a piece of duct. The employee then fell another 12 ft to the concrete floor. He was flown to the hospital, where he died of multiple fractures.