Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303485494 - S E Johnson Co. Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Cleveland Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was part of a crew that was installing an emergency pull-off apron on the Ohio Turnpike. More than one lane of the road was closed, and there were cones and barrels in place, as well as flaggers directing traffic. Employee #1 left the apron area, apparently to pick up his tandem vibratory roller, which had just arrived at the site. He was walking east across the closed lanes when he was struck and killed by a maintenance vehicle that was backing up while navigating parked vehicles. The truck had just straightened out and was backing directly eastward when it struck Employee #1. The vehicle had a back-up alarm that was supposedly working, although no one had checked it that morning and the driver could not hear it in his cab because he had the radio on. The alarm may also have been overcome by the background noise. There were numerous trucks in the adjacent, active lane, and some were using their "jake brakes" on the hill to enable their engines to help them slow down as they went down hill toward North Royalton. The back-up alarm did not work when tested directly after the accident and mechanics later determined that the connector was loose at the transmission. This could have been caused by Employee #1's body or by the rescuers under the truck becoming caught and tugging on the wires that went to the alarm, dislodging the connector. The driver said the alarm worked on Friday when the vehicle was parked, but that this was the first time on Monday morning that the vehicle was being driven in reverse.

Keywords: BACK-UP ALARM, HIGHWAY, TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, VEHICLE, CONSTRUCTION, TRUCK, NOISE, STRUCK BY, BACKING UP, INATTENTION