Abstract: Employee #1 was a part of a three-man trash truck crew consisting of one driver and two laborers. During the course of a normal run, the two laborers rode on the rear steps of the Ford truck, which was equipped with a 25 yd rear packer body. Employee #1 was on the rear passenger's side, and the coworker was on the rear driver's side. The truck was backing into a residential courtyard when Employee #1, who was bent over into the hopper, straightened up and fell backward off the step. He landed in the roadway, and his head and chest were run over by the rear tandem wheels on the passenger side. He was killed instantly. Employee #1 was wearing work clothes, but not a traffic safety vest. The employer did not have any work rules prohibiting riding on the rear steps while the truck was in reverse. There was no workplace hazard assessment or PPE training.