An employee was on a 6/12 pitch roof tearing off shingles from a single story residence. The employee was wearing a harness and attached to a lanyard that was anchored on the roof. At the time of the incident, the employee was preparing to get off the roof and disconnected his lanyard from the harness. He was transitioning to the ladder and lost his footing falling 6 to 8 feet to the ground below. The employee fractured a bone in his back and was admitted to the hospital.