Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302737945 - Waste Management Inc. Of Florida

Inspection Information - Office: Jacksonville Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a temporary worker on a recycling truck, was helping a driver collect residential recycled products. As they progressed on their route, he worked from the right side of the truck cab. At lunch time, the coworker driver stopped at a convenience store, finished lunch, then went to the right side of the truck to resume operations. (The truck could be operated from either side.) Employee #1 also went to the right side of the truck, but there was no room for him in the cab on that side. As a result, he stood on a step on the right side of the truck, and held on to the right side mirror with one hand, while holding a bottled drink in the other. The next scheduled stop on their route was approximately one-fifth of a mile away from where they had lunch. A truck was blocking them from making a right turn, so the driver decided to turn left and stop at another location first. The coworker was turning left when Employee #1 fell from the truck and struck his head on the concrete roadway. He sustained fatal head injuries. The driver later stated that he announced that he was making a left- hand turn, but was not sure if Employee #1 had heard him. In addition, Employee #1 had not been trained on safety rules, specifically not riding on the steps outside of the recycle truck cab. At the time of the accident he had been working for the employer for approximately two weeks.

Keywords: GARBAGE TRUCK, HEAD, WORK RULES, RIDING ON EQUIPMENT, FALL, SHARP TURN, UNTRAINED, COMMUNICATION, UNSTABLE POSITION