Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307460659 - Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At about 8:49 a.m. on July 10, 2006, Employee #1 and a coworker were reparing the elevator assembly of a disabled wheel tractor scraper at a commercial landfill that was managed by Burrtec Waste Industries in Colton, CA. Both chains of the scraper elevator assembly were derailed. The coworker was operating a backhoe loader that was being used to assist in the repair. The workers attached one end of a metal chain to the teeth of the backhoe bucket and the other to the derailed chain of the scraper elevator assembly. They were using the backhoe bucket to move the chain horizontally to pull the elevator assembly chains into place. The workers were unable to repair the scraper and Employee #1 determined that company maintenance personnel would be contacted to perform the repair. As the coworker was preparing to move the backhoe away from the scraper, he placed the metal chain on the ground by lowering and tilting the bucket. The coworker then stowed the boom by placing the backhoe stabilizers in a retracted position and shifted the machine to neutral. Employee #1 picked up the metal chain from the ground and placed it on the back end of the backhoe operator platform. The chain landed on the left boom swing pedal. The boom was activated and struck Employee #1's head against the machine's left stabilizer. The coworker depressed the right boom swing foot pedal but, in a later interview, could not recall what effect this action had. The coworker called an emergency service unit and administered first aid. Employee #1 was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, CA, where he died due to his injuries.

Keywords: CHAIN, HEAD, LOADER/BACKHOE, REPAIR, SCRAPER, BOOM, MACHINE OPERATOR, STRUCK AGAINST, LANDFILL