Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300776747 - Standard Concrete Products Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:25 p.m. on March 22, 2001, Employee #1, a night mechanic, was crushed by the booster of a concrete Miser Truck (1987 Peter Built Mixer Truck Number 337, Model or Serial Number 1XPAL59X8JN252316; CL Plate 3L 63790) which inadvertently disengaged from the spring-loaded hook that keeps it in place. Employee #1 was found facing the back of the truck bleeding through nose and ears. On the day of the accident, Truck # 337 delivered a load in Santa Monica. On the way back to the Vernon Facility, the booster trailer had come down, therefore the truck driver took the truck to the Santa Monica facility. In Santa Monica, the mechanic did not have the tools and expertise to repair the truck; therefore, he raised and locked in place the booster trailer using a skip loader and sent the truck driver back to the Vernon Facility for repair. At the Vernon facility, the truck driver was asked to back-up the truck into the repair shop and then was sent to check if he was required to make another delivery. After the truck was left in the repair shop, it appeared that Employee #1 started to troubleshoot and repair the truck. As a mechanic, Employee #1 was expected to repair any truck in the Vernon Fleet without the need of anyone assigning him the work. In the process, while standing or walking on the rear of the truck, the booster trailer was disengaged from the spring-loaded hook and fell on Employee #1, causing massive crushing injuries. According to the employer, it is not uncommon that the booster disengages by itself. Under normal conditions, the booster is disengaged with an air pump that requires a minimum pressure of 65 psi from the trucks cab and falls very slowly because the hydraulic system keeps it from free falling. Another employee, also a mechanic, working around the front of the truck heard a loud pop noise. The other employee rushed to the back of the truck and saw Employee #1. The truck driver called 911 and the mechanic ran and jacked-up the booster with a pneumatic jack and slid Employee #1 from under the booster. Employee #1 was transported to White Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead due to massive crushing injuries. The casual factors leading to the accident was the fact that the piston inside the hydraulic ram was broken and the booster was not effectively blocked or otherwise secured before repair process began.

Keywords: MECHANIC, CRUSHED, TRUCK