Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302580675 - Safety-Kleen Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Boise Area Office

Investigation Summary

On June 3, 1999, Employee #1, an oil recovery and sales service representative for Safety Kleen, was driving a tank truck from site to site, performing his normal duties of checking and pumping waste fluids (primarily oil) from storage tanks into the truck's tank. He arrived at the Flying J service station in Blackfoot and told a manager that he was going to check the oil/water separator in front of the station. The manager agreed but said to wait until a tractor trailer that was parked over the hatch to the oil/water separator moved. Employee #1 went to the hatch, which was partially underneath the bed of the tractor-trailer, and used a crowbar to dislodge it so that he could place a dipstick in the tank. When he encountered difficulty removing the hatch, he repositioned himself so that his body was mostly under the truck bed. The tires of the truck were immediately behind him and the truck engine was running the entire time that Employee #1 was attempting to access the tank. He finally raised the hatch several inches and had placed his limbs under the hatch opening when the truck driver began pulling out of the service station. He immediately drove over Employee #1 until bystanders alerted him and he backed up. Employee #1 was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he died several hours later. The truck driver had never been told that someone was working near and under his truck.

Keywords: WORK RULES, TRAILER TRUCK, TRACTOR TRAILER, RUN OVER, COMMUNICATION, INATTENTION, TRUCK DRIVER