Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307167023 - 99 Cents Only Stores

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on November 8, 2005, Employee #1, a tractor trailer truck driver drove a tractor trailer truck (with Nebraska license Number 66814) to the 99 Cents Only Stores refrigerated warehouse located in Commerce, California. Employee #1 then entered the dispatch office, where another employee, a receiver of 99 Cents Only Stores, instructed Employee #1 to back the truck up to dock Number Four. After approximately 30 minutes another driver from another company, A&H Trucking, drove a tractor trailer truck (with California license Number UP05685) into the yard and entered the receiving office for instruction. The receiver instructed another driver to back up to Dock Number 3. Another driver then proceeded to make a 3-point turn so that he could position his truck to back up to the dock. After doing so, another driver backed his truck up to dock Number 3, where Employee #1 was standing. Employee #1 was pinned between the trailer and the dock. He was killed. Upon investigation, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has determined that the accident was caused by the lack of an audible back-up alarm on the tractor trailer truck that would sound during backing or an automatic braking device that would apply a service brake upon contact with an obstruction. I addition, other administrative controls such as a spotter or flagger to guide the truck in were missing. Moreover, there were no procedures to verify that the path behind the truck was clear before the backing operation was initiated. The other procedures to prohibit foot traffic in the dock area were missing as well.

Keywords: RIGGING, ABDOMEN, ALARM, CAUGHT BETWEEN, TRIPPED, TRACTOR, TRAILER, MOTOR VEHICLE, BACKING UP, TRUCK DRIVER