Trucking Fatality Narrative: Truck Driver Crushed by Cardboard Bale

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 47-year-old truck driver was struck by a 1,500-pound bale of recycled cardboard when it fell on him after he opened the doors of a loaded semi-trailer. He was an experienced driver who had worked for his employer, a truck transportation company, for ten years. He was actively involved in the company's safety program and in training new employees. On the day of the incident, the driver was delivering a load of 1,500-pound bales of recycled cardboard to a paper production mill. The bales were loaded into his semi-trailer at his employer's yard where they had been stored. The bales were stacked three-high and were aligned with the center of the trailer. The trailer was fully loaded. When the driver arrived near the loading dock at the delivery site, he first opened the trailer door on the passenger side and chained it to the side of the trailer to keep it open. He then opened the trailer door on the driver's side. As he opened the trailer door on the driver's side, a stack of bales became unstable and two of the bales fell out of the trailer. He was struck by a 1,500- pound bale that came to rest on him. According to the coroner, the driver died of blunt force injuries of the torso. Investigators found that the employer provided straps to prevent bales from tipping over and falling out when drivers opened the trailer doors, but the drivers did not use them. Additionally, the semi-trailer was parked on uneven ground, which may have destabilized the stack of bales. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Employers must make sure all loads transported on trucks and trailers are properly secured and distributed. 2. All Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV)s must comply with the requirements of 49 CFR 392.9 (Subpart A)- Inspection of cargo, cargo securement devices and systems, and 49 CFR 393 Subpart I - Protection Against Shifting and Falling Cargo. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences: Employers should 1. Ensure that drivers are protected from the hazard of falling bales. 2. Ensure that when bales are loaded into trailers that they are properly secured and will not fall over during transport or when drivers open the trailer doors. 3. Provide and require drivers to use cargo securement devices such as straps. 4. Ensure that drivers park truck and trailer are on level ground before opening trailer doors. 5. Ensure that drivers unlock and open one trailer door at a time and shield themselves from falling bales by standing behind the door. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Education
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Safety
  • Staff Development
  • Workplace
• Keywords:
  • Truck drivers
  • Workers
  • Work environment
  • Work zone
  • Falling objects
  • Personal protection
  • Personal protective equipment
  • PPE
  • Hazards
  • Fatalities
  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Lay Publication
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063165
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-207-2021, 2021 Aug; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Trucking fatality narrative: truck driver crushed by cardboard bale
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229106/cdc_229106_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 286.83 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:31920c726b081a102ada6c76032398ece6f8782bfac3af8f2509c02bcf92836cff67e1a1316a476f4abd2490ad9d1b7336a27ee66cc80f0b88958f9df120bac4