Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1510703.015 - Michael Paul Company, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on January 11, 2021, an employee was assisting a coworker with the removal and staging of approximately seven 10-foot by 6-foot trench plates that weighed approximately 2,450 pounds each with the use of a backhoe, chain, and Peterbilt 10-yard dump truck. The employee was responsible for hooking the plate up to the backhoe on the ground to be loaded, then climb into the back of the truck to unhook the trench plate once it was loaded. While the last plate was being loaded, the coworker who was operating the dump truck went to use the bathroom. As the employee finished unhooking the last plate and was about to exit the bed of the dump truck, the coworker returned from the bathroom and jumped back into the truck to move it, not knowing that the employee was still in the back. As the coworker moved the truck, a trench plate slid, pinning the employee's legs to the tailgate of the dump truck. The employee was transported to Marin General Hospital, where he was admitted and underwent surgery for his two fractured legs. The employee was hospitalized for over a week.

Keywords: Backhoe, Chain, Crushed, Dump Truck, Fracture, Leg, Metal Plating, Pinned, Removal, Slid, Tailgate