A 16-year-old tire repair assistant died when a vehicle slipped off a hydraulic jack and fell on him while he was changing the oil, California

SUMMARY

A 16-year-old tire repair assistant (victim), working part-time in a tire shop, died when the vehicle he was working on slipped off a hydraulic jack and fell on him. He was underneath the vehicle changing the oil when the incident occurred. This activity – working with a lifting apparatus – is prohibited for minors under 18 in California. There was no direct observation/supervision of the victim’s work practices when the incident occurred. The CA/FACE investigator determined that, in order to prevent similar incidents, tire shop employers should:

• Ensure that any employee who is a minor is only doing work that is in compliance with child labor laws and regulations. For work that is allowed, ensure that minors are properly trained and supervised, and have a work permit.
• Ensure that any loads raised by hydraulic jacks are supported with proper cribbing or jack stands.

A 16-year-old tire repair assistant died when a vehicle slipped off a hydraulic jack and fell on him while he was changing the oil, California [PDF – 283 KB]