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Details of Event: The Sir John Walsh shaft had been deepened and a new eye opened out to a distance of 18 feet on each side at the 130 fathom level. The shaft is divided into the usual three compartments, two for winding and one for pumping. Only one winding compartment was in use and the other was boarded over with a staging of 3-inch planks at the new eye. On the day of the accident the staging was removed as arrangements were in progress to put in a second cage. Deceased was employed at the new eye and he commenced work on the night shift, at 10pm. Shortly afterwards ho proceeded to cross the shaft to reach the signal lever on the opposite side. He was not aware that the staging had been removed and he stepped right into the shaft, falling a distance of 60 feet. The manager stated that he did not know the men were in the habit of crossing the shaft by this staging as he had told them to cross by means of the cage, but no specific instructions had been issued forbidding the use of the staging as a travelling road. A verbal message from the manager advising the night shift men that the staging had been removed, failed in transmission a not unfamiliar characteristic of verbal messages. The shaft was adequately protected for ordinary purposes but under the special circumstances extra precautionary measures should have been adopted.