Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308060417 - Woodward Diesel Parts And Service

Inspection Information - Office: Oklahoma City Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on November 12, 2004, Employee #1, a mechanic, and a coworker were repairing a flatbed truck. Employee #1 and the coworker jacked up the flatbed truck by using two mechanical jacks, one on each side of the flatbed near the rear wheels. To increase the lift height of the flatbed, the employees placed the jack on the left side on top of a steel I-beam approximately 12-in. wide by 8-in. deep by 8-in. high. The jack on the right side was placed on a wood block. Employee #1 and the coworker also placed a wood block about an inch underneath the Under Ride Protection Bar (ICC Bar) as the blocking device. The employees began working on the brake job and repairing the tail light on the flatbed truck. After taking the wheels off the flatbed the employees ordered the parts for the brake job. While waiting for the parts to arrive, Employee #1 started repairing the tail light from under the flatbed. Employee #1 was trying to get out from underneath the flatbed; he had to push the wood block from underneath the ICC Bar in order to get out, at the same time the jack on the left side of the flatbed slipped off the I-beam and fell on the floor. That caused the flatbed to tilt to the left side pinning the victim at the abdomen between the ICC Bar and the creeper which he was laying on. A crew of employees had to use a forklift to lift the flatbed up to get Employee #1 out. Employee #1 was immediately taken to Woodward Regional Hospital, where they transferred him to the Oklahoma University Trauma Center. Employee #1 was hospitalized, where he later died.

Keywords: REPAIR, BRAKE, UNDERPINNING, PINNED, MECHANIC, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, FLATBED TRUCK, JACK