Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1482276.015 - Associated Supply Company Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Lubbock Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 11:00 a.m. on July 6, 2020, an employee was working as a service technician at a cattle feedlot. He had been working for the firm for about one year. He was the employee in charge at the worksite. He and a helper were performing maintenance on a front end loader or wheel loader. The helper had been working for the firm as a yard hand for about seven month. The loader had a hydraulic fluid leak on its right side. Because of the leak, the loader was losing hydraulic pressure on its right side. It was not able to hold its bucket up in the air. The helper was sitting at the controls in the cab. The employee had his helper raise the arms of the wheel loader with the bucket attached all the way up in the air. According to the maintenance supervisor, the bucket weighed approximately 2,300 to 3,600 kilograms (5,000 to 8,000 pounds). After the helper raised the arms up to their furthest extent, he turned off the wheel loader and exited the cab. Both employees walked under and stood under the raised load with no support at this time. The employee went to the left side of the loader to install the support strut and retaining bolt to the hydraulic cylinder. He was doing this so that he could begin performing the service and maintenance on the hydraulics on the right side. All this time, the arms of the loader were slowly falling until the weight of the bucket. The front end loader's boom and arms suddenly fell, striking the employee. The employee was crushed between the arm of the boom and a tire. He was killed. No certified hazard assessment had been performed before the start of work.

Keywords: Crushed, Equipment Failure, Falling Object, Front End Loader, Hydraulic Fluid, Leak, Lockout, Maintenance, Struck By, Wheel Loader