UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At 3:45 p.m. on January 20, 2020, an employee (Mechanic) was assigned to work on a loose chassis and side fairings on a Volvo model 660 semi-truck and secure an y loose components by bolting them with a wrench. The employee was also told to remove the driver side front axle wheel for brake inspection. The employee place d a Craftsman 20-ton hydraulic bottle hand jack under the truck's driver side ja cking point and raised it a few inches. The employee removed the front axle whee l and drum brake and slid under the vehicle on a roller creeper. The employee wa s under the area behind the driver door on his back looking up at the underbody. The parking brake had been set but the air bags were not deflated prior to star ting work and no additional lifts, jack stands, wheel chocks or other restrainin g means were used. Multiple jack stands and wheel chocks were immediately availa ble. While the employee visually inspected the underbody without using any hand tools, the truck unexpectedly shifted forward and fell off the jack. The shift w as likely caused by an ongoing pressure drop in the suspension air system due to naturally occurring leaks imposed by forces on the vehicle. The employee was wo rking alone and there were no direct eyewitnesses and no surveillance footage. C oworker #1 (Owner) and Coworker #2 (Truck Owner) responded to the scene and quic kly initiated extraction efforts by driving a shop forklift around the building to lift the truck's front to remove the employee. Coworker #1 also called first responders to the scene by calling 911. Coworker #3 assisted directing Coworker #2 inserting forks and maintaining the lift while he pulled the roller creeper w ith the unconscious employee out. The employee's upper body was crushed and his jaw broken, requiring hospitalization. The employee subsequently incurred cardio vascular damage, brain damage from two strokes after losing his pulse for approx imately 45 minutes and other serious health complications due to the accident.