Abstract: At approximately 11:45 p.m. on December 3, 2004, Employee #1, a dock worker, had completed unloading a 53-foot tractor-trailer that was parked at a loading dock and was standing on the inside of the dock using a pole to unlock the trailer restraint device, which was stuck. The driver of the truck was instructed by a yard worker to move the vehicle forward and then backwards in an attempt to release the trailer. As the truck moved forward and proceeded to move backwards toward the dock, Employee #1's head was pinned between the trailer and the dock wall. He was killed. The truck driver and the yard worker were unaware of Employee #1's location until they observed him lying on the floor of the open trailer as the truck pulled away from the dock. The accident investigation revealed that the yard worker and Employee #1 could not see each other due to a weather curtain that was obstructing their view. Also a language barrier existed with Employee #1 only speaking Spanish. Employee #1 had been trained in the operation of the dock lock, but no training was conducted relating to the hazards of working behind a moving trailer at an open dock door.