Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308429265 - Double J. Trucking

Inspection Information - Office: Jacksonville Area Office

Investigation Summary

On March 7, 2005, Employee #1, a truck driver, was delivering 8,600 board-feet of treated lumber to a building supply facility. On the flat bed truck, there was another 5,568 board feet of lumber for another building supply facility. The lumber was different sizes (from 2-in. by 2-in. by 8-ft long to 2-in. by 6-in. by 16-ft long), and each size of lumber was in a bundle that was secured with 6910 0.625-in. Eco Band Strapping Material. There were six bundles to be unloaded at the first facility, and each bundle was secured with two straps. Employee #1 parked next to the facility, and was met by a forklift operator of the facility. While the forklift operator went to get the forklift to unload the bundles of lumber, Employee #1 unhooked the truck straps that secured the bundles on the flat bed. When the forklift operator returned with the forklift, he did not see Employee #1, and assumed that he had gone into the facility for coffee. Actually, Employee #1 was on the opposite side of the flat bed truck from the forklift operator. He was rolling up the truck straps that he had just unhooked. As the forklift operator began removing the first bundle of lumber from his side of the truck, he heard lumber falling (cascading) on the opposite side of the truck. The forklift operator stopped his lift, and went to the other side of the truck where he saw the loose lumber piled on the ground. The straps that secured the bundles together had broken. He then saw that Employee #1 was under the pile of lumber. Employee #1 received multiple injuries, including multiple fractures, lacerations and abrasions that were fatal. The cause of death was blunt- force trauma of the torso and lower extremities. The bundle that came loose and cascaded onto Employee #1 consisted of 180 pieces of lumber, and each piece was 2-in. by 4-in. by 16-ft long. It could not be determined what caused the bundle straps to break. The forklift operator denied coming into contact with any bundles on the other side of the flat bed truck when he was unloading his side of the truck.

Keywords: INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LUMBER, OFF LOADING, UNTRAINED, TRUCK DRIVER, FRACTURE, STRUCK BY, FLATBED TRUCK, LUMBER STACK, UNSTABLE LOAD