Abstract: At approximately 3:00 p.m. on October 1, 2009, Employee #1 was with a company owner and another employee, on the third floor of a three-story, steel-framed building that was under construction in Venice, CA. The contractor was the owner/builder of the residence. Each floor of the building's steel framing was decked, but the investigation showed openings in the metal decking. The employees and owner were to install metal round poles on a beam. To expose a beam and locate the pole position, an employee would move the metal decking. Employees were to hold the pole, while the owner was tack welding. According to Employee #1, he received the pole from the other employee and tried to position it on the beam. Employee #1 lost his balance, causing him to step on loose decking and fall 30 feet to the basement. Employee #1 apparently regained consciousness, while the paramedics were attending to him. He was transported to UCLA Hospital, where he stayed for four days. Employee #1's injuries included fractures to his head, collar bone, left ribs and tailbone. The investigation showed that by design, the ground/first floor directly beneath the area where the employees were working had no decking. According to Employee #1, the company owner ordered him to move metal decking on the second floor to run the welding cable from the welding machine in the basement, through the opening that was directly below them. Consequently, there was no intermediate decking directly under Employee #1 to break his fall from the third floor to the basement. The owner claimed that he did not know why Employee #1 moved the decking on the second floor. Employee #1 could not remember further details of the accident. Neither the employees nor the owner were wearing safety belts for fall protection.