Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310061635 - Cts Advantage Logistics

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 3, 2007, Employees #1 and #2, who were employed by a labor contractor for a passenger vehicle manufacturer, were driving an electric cart inside the manufacturer's facility. They were headed to a location to pick up materials that had just been delivered. When they passed by a loading dock, they saw a friend, Employee #3, who was employed by another labor contractor. Employees #1 and #2 decided to pull over to have a chat. The driver (Employee #1) parked the cart at the bottom of metal stairs near the loading dock. Employee #3 came down the stairs and stood in front of the cart. Then Employee #3's supervisor also joined them in the conversation. The two-seater cart was left "on" by Employee #1. The supervisor climbed into the cart, through the rear, and sat in between the driver (Employee #1) and his passenger (Employee #2). It was a tight squeeze, but the supervisor managed to sit down. Employee #1 testified that at this point, the supervisor's clipboard activated the forward/reverse switch from neutral to forward, and then the supervisor accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal, which made the cart lurch forward. The supervisor strongly denied that this event ever happened. Employee #3, who had been standing in front of the cart, suffered serious injuries when his left foot was crushed between the metal stairs and the electric cart.

Keywords: ACCELERATOR PEDAL, FRACTURE, STAIR, VEHICLE IN GEAR, PINNED, WORK RULES, STRUCK BY, HORSEPLAY, CART, FOOT