UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 1:52 p.m. on December 20, 2021, Employee #1, a field assistant worker for a p ropane distribution and delivery company, was working with a coworker, a deliver y driver, at a customer drop-off site located in Rio Oso, CA. After the work fla tbed truck that they drove arrived at the delivery location, the coworker was op erating a built-in crane, while Employee #1 climbed onto the back of the truck t o secure the elongated propane tanks to be dropped off. The 225-gallon propane t anks were in rows of three and stacked three rows high per unit, separated by tw o wooden dunnage pallets. Both employees were tasked with dropping off the refur bished propane tanks at the client site located in the back of the business. Emp loyee #1 climbed onto the loaded 30-ft long by 8-ft wide truck trailer, to the t op of the top row of tanks. He secured the crane hooks to the welded loops locat ed on the ends of the tanks to the overhead straps attached to the trailer crane arm operated by the coworker. The coworker lifted the first row of tanks and se t them down onto the ground nearby. As Employee #1 was stepping down to the next row of tanks, his footing slipped and he fell. Employee #1 fell off to the side of the flatbed, a distance approx. 14-feet, and landed on a concrete pad. Emplo yee #1 was admitted to the hospital, treated for a broken left arm and a fractur ed lower back bone, and released in the afternoon of the next day.