Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120309810 - American Waste Industries

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:20 p.m. on February 13, 2001, Employee #1, a new trash collector, fractured his leg when he went inside the packer. The trash truck involved in the accident was a front-loading collection vehicle identified as truck number 83. The brand was "Amrep". The Model Numbers were S-99 and AMOCILPO24. The Serial Number was 99113. Before the accident, two helpers and the driver just unloaded trash into the landfill. The driver wanted to drive to a flat area and try to clear and clean the area behind the packer, which is inside the container of the truck. The packer is the part of the truck that moves forward and back to compress or push out the trash. While the truck motor was running, one of the helpers was in the back trying to determine if the rear door was closed so the packer could cycle forward. At this point, Employee #1, who had only worked two days for this company, climbed up the ladder on the right hand side of the truck and jumped into the truck container from the top to clear the packer. Most likely, the rear door was closed at this point causing the packer to automatically move forward. Before the packer could be stopped, Employee #1 fractured his right leg. He said he was told to enter the packer. The driver and the other helper said that the Employee #1 jumped in without being told to. If the packer was to be cleared and cleaned at the landfill, company procedures require that the truck must be stopped, emergency brake must be on, the motor must be turned off, and the key must be removed from the ignition before the driver and helpers get out of the truck. Also the helper is required to tell the driver that he will be entering the inside of the truck where the packer is located. Apparently, there was miscommunication, and the driver and the helpers failed to follow these rules. Employee #1 indicated that he was not trained in the procedures. The company said that Employee #1 had orientation training and on-the-job training by the driver. The helpers stated that the packer was not working properly because the packer would not move back and forth. According to the helpers, a mechanic did come out and work on it before the truck got to the landfill but it still did not work properly. There is little evidence that this directly caused the accident but it may have caused the need to enter the packer. His employer failed to provide adequate training, provide specific lock out procedures, and ensure that the equipment was working properly. He went to a local hospital for treatment.

Keywords: FRACTURE, CAUGHT BY, TRASH COMPACTOR, LEG