UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employee #1 was assigned to load and dump packing and shipping waste materials from the front bucket of a 1977 John Deere model 310-A backhoe. The employee drove to the trash dumpster at the lower level parking area, then got off the backhoe to hand dump large pieces of trash and to flip up a closed lid. While the employee's back was to the backhoe, it moved forward and caught him between the bucket and the dumpster. Employee #1 sustained bruised ribs and back. The backhoe was left running. The employee thought that he had put the forward/reverse lever in the neutral position. When an off site witness and the foreman examined the accident scene, they found the lever in the forward position. Employee #1 stated that the rear bucket had been lowered to the ground to prevent the backhoe from moving. The ground was slightly sloped away from the dumpster area. Employee #1 was trained by the employer in proper operating technique; however, he forgot to secure the backhoe and lacked hazard recognition training for use of ROPS. The backhoe was not equipped with ROPS.