Construction/Services/Trucking Fatality Narrative: Driver Killed and Co-Worker Injured When Truck Brakes Fail: Washington, Report 71-273-2026

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 44-year-old experienced truck driver was killed when his 3-axle tanker's brakes failed while going down a steep hill. He had worked for his employer, a residential and commercial plumbing contractor, for three years. His duties included driving a tanker truck, pumping septic systems, and transporting waste to dump stations. He was driving the tanker accompanied by a co-worker in the passenger's seat. They had pumped out a customer's septic system and were going to empty the truck's full tank at a dump station before heading to another job site. The loaded truck weighed over 50,000 lbs. They took an unfamiliar route to the station instead of the usual one the employer wanted them to take. They ended up on a steep quarter-mile hill with a T-shaped intersection at the bottom. The truck began moving dangerously fast down the hill. The driver tried to slow down by applying the service brakes and parking brakes, but they did not work. He then tried downshifting the transmission from fifth to second gear, but the driveshaft to the rear axles snapped. The broken driveshaft meant he could also not use the supplementary engine brake or Jake Brake. Finally, he released the clutch which shut off the engine but could not stop the truck. He tried to turn right at the last moment as the truck sped through the intersection at the bottom of the hill. The truck's momentum made it tip over on its left side and crash through a concrete Jersey barrier. It came to rest in a gravel lot near a busy highway. He died at the scene, and his co-worker was hospitalized for a week with severe injuries. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Following the incident, investigators found: The state patrol's post-crash examination found that two rear axle drum brakes were not functioning prior to the incident. In addition, the employer's accident prevention program (APP) did not include requirements for routine vehicle maintenance services or inspections, which could have identified the faulty brakes. The truck also lacked periodic commercial motor vehicle inspections. The truck was driven daily, but the brakes had not been serviced for at least 21 months before the incident. The driver did not always test the brakes before operating the truck due to the fast pace of his job. He also had an expired commercial driver's license (CDL). REQUIREMENTS - Employers must: Make sure all motor vehicle parts are safe to use. Provide and use means to make your workplace safe. Allow only drivers who have a current motor vehicle operator's license to operate motor vehicles on public roadways. Have every commercial motor vehicle periodically inspected according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. RECOMMENDATIONS - FACE investigators concluded, that to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Require pre- and post- trip brake inspections. Establish and enforce a policy in your written APP requiring drivers to perform federally-compliant vehicle inspections, including brake system checks, before, during, and after each shift. Require drivers to promptly report brake defects to dispatchers and in a Daily Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) at the end of their shift. Immediately remove trucks with brake defects from service until professional repairs are made in accordance with manufacturer's guidelines. Develop and follow a preventive maintenance program. Add a preventive maintenance program to your APP and schedule checks and services according to usage cycles such as mileage and hours. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Construction
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Fatalities
  • Motor vehicles
  • Vehicle safety
  • Equipment maintenance
  • Truck drivers
  • Waste disposal
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  All ; Motor Vehicles
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  San Francisco Region OSHA ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071739
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-273-2026, 2026 Jan; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  238220 - Plumbing, Heating, and Air - (NAICS 2022)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Resource Number:
  71-273-2026
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259964/cdc_259964_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 190.33 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a79d1ba28a5fde08088554a110dc35be94c70c50672391a68387d673c4f3ce272d5a4f064e30656a6da2c8721b6c3157aea816c0774fcb6faf3a9bf615e51d01