Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315312603 - Superior Environmental Labor

Inspection Information - Office: Cleveland Area Office

Investigation Summary

On February 16, 2011, Employee #1 and a coworker were breaking down and cleaning up the Sterling Super Sucker Vac Truck, Model Number VAC-074, and DOT Number 780512. The truck was used to vacuum clear the degasser tank for the steel mill. Employee #2 and his coworker had just completed checking the Vac truck for debris buildup within the Vac tank, when the coworker began to close the back hatch of the tank. Employee #1 remained near the back of the truck and started to walk over to where the two other operators for the contractor were completing the tank cleaning. While the coworker was at the controls, near the left side of the truck cab, he could not see or hear the door closing due to high noise levels in the area and an obstructed view of the door in the back of the truck. The coworker decided to shut off the controls and proceed to the back of the truck to check the progress of the door. Once at the back of the truck, he noticed Employee #1 trapped between the back door to the Vac tank and the tank itself. The coworker immediately ran back to the truck controls and hit the open control for the back door, and then ran back to where Employee #1 had been trapped. The coworker saw Employee #1 collapsed on the floor and called for help. Emergency medical services responded and treated Employee #1. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died approximately ninety minutes later. The preliminary report of death from the county coroner was massive crushing injuries to the left chest with left hemothorax and multiple fractions of the left ribs.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEMORRHAGE, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, RIB, VACUUM VESSEL, STRUCK BY, TANK, DOOR