Abstract: On November 6th, 2008 Employee #1, an apprentice lineman working as a trainee for a municipal electrical utility, fell from a training pole he was climbing. Employee #1 fell a distance of about 30 feet and landed on hard compact soil. The involved employee was free climbing, and had a climbing belt attached to his utility belt. Another apprentice had climbed the pole in the same fashion before the involved employee. Employee #1 stated in an interview that he "cut out" in which the climbing gaffers came out of the pole and the employee fell to the ground which was hard compact soil. Inspection of the climbing gaffers, positioning belt and climbing strap revealed that they were new and in good condition. After an investigation of the incident including but not limited to the taking of witness statements it was determined by DOSH that the employer was not in violation of California Code of Regulations, Title 8 Safety Orders with regard to the incident.