Truck Mechanic Pinned By Truck’s Sway Bar and Link

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Michigan Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (Project) (MIFACE) ; Michigan State University. Department of Medicine. Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Description:
  In fall 2013, a male truck mechanic in his 40s died when a pickup truck fell on him. The decedent was in the process of checking the truck for an oil leak. The truck had been driven up a slight incline and parked with the front wheels on a cement apron surrounding a building. The front wheels were positioned several inches east of a 5-inch deep trench and the back wheels on dirt in a concave-shaped 3-inch trench. There was a consistent elevation decline from the building to the west to allow for water drainage. The decedent started the truck, placed it in neutral, and partially depressed the parking brake. No wheel chocks were used to prevent truck movement. At some point while lying on his back working under the truck, the truck moved backward, with the front wheels entering a 5-inch deep dirt trench. The truck's sway bar and link to the rear of the front axle fell on the decedent's chest, pinning him against the cement. A building employee had left approximately one hour earlier and had noted the truck running. When he returned, the truck was still running, so he looked under the truck. Seeing the decedent, he screamed for help. Emergency response was summoned. A jack was used to raise the truck. The decedent was transported to a local hospital and declared dead. Factors which contributed to this fatal incident include: 1. Vehicle not blocked from inadvertent movement 2. Unsafe work practices. Recommendation: Persons performing vehicle maintenance should ensure that vehicles are adequately supported while maintenance is performed underneath and that vehicles are protected against inadvertent movement.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-potential Accident-prevention Author Keywords: Working Under Unsupported Vehicle Injuries Injury-prevention Jack Stands Maintenance Schedules Motor-vehicles OSHA Region 5 Safety-equipment Safety-practices Traumatic-injuries Truck-drivers Trucking Vehicle Repair

  More +
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Motor Vehicles
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE13MI149
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058830
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100279
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 13MI149, 2015 Mar ; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• Performing Organization:
  Michigan State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  81 - Other Services (except Public Administration) - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5efccb9e653c445431d7cfa46004135984b7fdb4853275487034cfd13ee3912a814718f4237bed7737429f9e1fe5ab239b9779b1c0f57daab0a038906a02e5b5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164935/cdc_164935_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 159.82 KB ]