The injured employee was descending a fixed ladder in the base cone of a spheroidal design water tower. Another employee above him was lowering a plastic, 5-gallon bucket full of tools with a rope. The handle on the bucket broke and the bucket and its contents fell on the injured employee causing him to let go of the ladder and fall approximately 10-12 feet to the lower level. The injured employee sustained fractured vertebrae, a concussion, and lacerations to the face and head.