Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120275433 - J S Shorty Packing

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on February 2, 2001, Employee #1, a farm labor contractor with eight employees, died when a truck drove over him crushed him. His employer harvests and packages cabbage at a large cabbage farm and uses a large rental furniture van truck to haul packs of cabbages to San Diego. The truck driver was driving the rental box truck in reverse toward the workers picking and packaging cabbages to load some cardboard boxes with cabbages through an open door in the truck's tailgate. The driver was looking in front of the truck when he saw a field worker laying face up a few feet away on the ground. Employee #1 was caught under a back tire as the truck was backing through the middle section of the cabbage field. The truck's double back tires rolled onto Employee #1's chest, left arm and waist line. Employee #1 died on the scene. No witnesses observed the incident, and there was no evidence of equipment defects. Approximately 95 percent of the driver's rear vision was obstructed by the truck's wide body. No one, in clear view of the driver, was directing the backing operation. According to Employee #1's employer, the sheriffs did not find drugs or alcohol in the driver during their tests. The primary factor which contributed to the accident was the employer's failure to have someone directing the truck's backward movement. Employee #1's body was transported by the local coroner to the imperial county medical examiner's office.

Keywords: CHEST, FRACTURE, CRUSHED, TRUCK, ARM, RUN OVER, COMMUNICATION