Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317011997 - City Of Greenville Public Works

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

Between 7:45 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on November 29, 2013, Employee #1, a garbage collector with City of Greenville Public Works, left the shop in a rear loading garbage truck with another garbage collector. The garbage truck driver was driving (Freightliner Business Class; wheel base 188 ins. and weight approximately 56,000 pounds). When they arrived at a residential street, the two collectors each took a side of the street, emptying the residential carts. The residential carts were 90 gallon plastic roll carts that were emptied into the rear of the truck. The residential street was a dead end street with a Cul-de-sac at the end. The collectors had finished emptying the carts and were on the rear of the truck leaving the area, when a home owner verbally shouted for the truck to stop to empty her cart and bags. Employee #1 and his coworker on the rear of the truck saw and heard the homeowner and signaled the driver to stop, which the driver did. Employee# 1 and his coworker got off the rear of the truck, with the coworker on the right rear passenger side of the truck in the lead. Employee #1 was on the driver's side of the truck. When Employee #1 and his coworker got off the truck, the driver put the truck in reverse and started backing up, approximately ten ft. The driver was looking out the passenger side mirror, looking at the coworker, going toward the homeowner, with his back toward the rear of the truck. After getting off the step on the rear of the truck, the coworker told Employee #1 to get the cart. When the coworker did not hear a comment from Employee #1, he looked over his right shoulder and saw Employee #1 had been run over. At the same time, the homeowner started yelling that Employee #1 had been struck by the truck. Employee #1 was facing the truck, face down, and was suffering from a massive head and body injury from the rear driver's side wheels. The driver stopped the truck and put it in drive and pulled back off Employee #1. The driver called his supervisor, who then called emergency personnel. Employee #1 died at the scene. Employee #1 had been wearing a reflective vest. The truck had a working back up alarm and a working back up camera that was also positioned correctly.

Keywords: BACK-UP ALARM, GARBAGE TRUCK, VEHICLE IN GEAR, LOADER, RUN OVER, BACKING UP, TRUCK DRIVER