UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employee #1, an operator, was using a compactor (roller) that weighed about 40 tons to compact some gravel on an incline (about 5-degrees) to prepare the surface for asphalt paving for a driveway to a parking lot for an apartment complex. The compactor consisted of a 36-ton steel drum in the font and rubber tires in the rear. The compactor pivoted in the middle. Somehow Employee #1 lost control of the compactor. The compactor rolled backwards down the incline while jackknifing back and forth. The compactor was headed toward a 6-ft-drop-off when Employee #1 jumped off. The roller of the compactor rolled over Employee #1's entire body and killed him. The investigation found that the operators had to add about a liter of brake fluid to the master cylinder nearly ever time they used compactor to make the brakes work. The emergency brake lever had no resistance when tested after the accident. The employer attributed the cause of the accident to Employee #1's failure to remain with the machine, to use the machine's seat belt, or to operate the machine properly. Moreover, the employer felt that the compactor's momentum could not be controlled by the brakes because of the machine's weight.