Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. OSHA citation items will be posted 30 (thirty) days after the employer receives the citation(s), except in cases of significant public interest. Posted citation items reflect any amendments to citations that are the result of a prompt settlement, which OSHA encourages. Employers and employee representatives will continue to receive copies of the citation(s) upon issuance.

Inspection: 1757669.015 - J & R Garden Stone And Rental Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Tennessee Osha Nashville Office - Safety

Investigation Summary

At 9:00 a.m. on June 25, 2024, an employee working as a laborer for a garden and farm supply store was operating a Wacker Neuson 5055 Model 349 Wheel Loader (SN 349030121). The employee was driving the vehicle to the back of the property to pick up a load of product for a customer. The employee backed up the vehicle onto an approximately six-foot-high mound of dirt causing the wheel loader to tip over onto its left side. The employee was not wearing the seatbelt and attempted to jump from the machine, but he was caught and crushed under the vehicle as it tipped over. The employee died from severe blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso.

Keywords: Agriculture, Agriculture Machinery/Vehicle, Caught Between, Crushed, Driving, Farm, Farm Machinery, Fracture, Head, Jump From Moving Equip, Laborer, Laceration, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lack of Work Procedures, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Neck, Nursery, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Protective Clothing, Seat Belt, Slope, Soil, Tips Over, Torso, Unsafe Position, Unstable Position, Wheel Loader, Work Surface