Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for West Virginia: Dump Truck Driver Dies in West Virginia After Being Pinned Between Dump Body and Truck Frame During Trouble Shooting Inspection
On July 20, 1998, a 28-year-old male dump truck driver (the victim) died of injuries sustained when he was pinned between the dump body and frame of his truck. Just prior to the incident, the victim had finished hauling for the day and returned to the shop. It was reported that earlier the victim had problems with the dump body sticking in the elevated position. He elevated the dump body and then tried to lower the dump body using the hand control within the cab. The dump body stuck in an elevated position. This had occurred on previous occasions. When he could not lower the dump body, he got out of the cab leaving the control valve in the down position. The victim then climbed up on top of the truck frame placing himself directly behind the cab of the truck and under the elevated dump body. The victim tried to free the stuck dump body by placing one end of a binder chain on the dump body and attaching the other end to the truck frame. The dump body suddenly lowered pinning him between the dump body and the truck frame. At approximately 7:00 a.m. the next morning the company's owner (victim's father) found the victim pinned between the dump body and truck frame. The victim was crushed by the dump body. The victim's father called 911 and then attempted to jack the dump body off of the victim. The local emergency medical services (EMS) used a system of jacks and chocks to elevate the dump body enough to permit the extrication of the victim. The EMS transported the victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The coroner estimated the time from injury to death to be minutes. The West Virginia Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (WV FACE) Investigator concluded that to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, employers should: (1) Ensure that before making inspections, adjustments, or repairs strong, heavy, positive supports are used to secure the dump body and prevent it from lowering. (2) Develop, implement, and enforce a written safety program which includes, but is not limited to, task specific safety procedures and worker training in hazard identification, avoidance, and control. (3) Develop and implement a preventative maintenance program which includes, but is not limited to, pre-shift inspections of all of the vehicle's operational systems and safety devices and the correction of identified defects prior to placing vehicle in service. Additionally, manufacturers should: (1) Provide end users with a comprehensive dump bed system owner's manual, including, but not limited to, the proper inspection and maintenance of the system and the safe work practices concerning system inspection and maintenance. (2) Consider re-engineering current body prop systems so they provide a full range of protection during all phases of inspection and preventative maintenance operations.
- Record URL:
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Corporate Authors:
West Virginia University, Morgantown
Center for Rural Emergency Medicine
Morgantown, WV United States 26506Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
1095 Willowdale Road, Mail Stop 1808
Morgantown, WV United States 26505 - Publication Date: 1998-12-30
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Features: Photos; References;
- Pagination: 9p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Crash investigation; Dump trucks; Fatalities; Occupational safety
- Identifier Terms: Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluations
- Geographic Terms: West Virginia
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01522375
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 98WV029-01
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Apr 22 2014 3:04PM