Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301316121 - Richard E. Pierson Construction Co., Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Marlton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:30 p.m. on December 3, 1996, Employee #1 and coworkers on a paving crew were resurfacing the roadway in front of a new housing development. Employee #1 was working next to the paving machine when a truck was cleared to move into position to dump its load of asphalt for the paving machine. As the truck was backing up, it failed to turn to clear the machine and Employee #1 became pinned against it. He suffered crushing injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The dump truck was equipped with a back-up alarm that need to be engaged manually by the driver. No witness at the site recalled hearing the back-up alarm. Apparently, Employee #1 did not hear the alarm or notice the truck backing toward him. When his coworkers realized what was happening, they tried unsuccessfully to get the driver to stop.

Keywords: BACK-UP ALARM, PINNED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, DUMP TRUCK, COMMUNICATION, BACKING UP, INATTENTION