Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306176918 - Watson Trucking & Equipment Rental, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Lauderdale Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:37 a.m. on February 12, 2003, an employee of Watson Trucking and Equipment Rental was operating a Bobcat at a construction site. The employee was removing debris from the back of a house that was under construction. The employee was in shallow water operating the Bobcat. He was observed moving the Bobcat bucket in and out of the water. It appears that he was attempting to clean the bucket, when the employee tried to back up out of the water. He was unsuccessful. When he tried to move the Bobcat to the left, the Bobcat flipped over in the deepest part of the canal. The Bobcat slid down the embankment coming to rest in approximately 48 ft of water. The employee was pinned under the machine and subsequently drowned.

Keywords: CANAL, CONSTRUCTION, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, DROWN, OVERTURN