Technical engineer dies after being struck and crushed by a bulldozer/earth compactor - Pennsylvania, November 18, 1992.
Source
NIOSH 1993 Aug; :1-4
Abstract
This report concerns the death of a 31 year old technical engineer who was crushed by a 12 ton vehicle at a private landfill while attempting to obtain a soil sample for analysis. The driver of the bulldozer was preparing an access road to a new dumping site 100 yards from the existing site. The victim parked his truck and prepared to extract a soil sample, with his back to the bulldozer and out of sight of the driver. After driving forward about 150 feet, the driver reversed the bulldozer, to go over the ground again, compacting it further. The victim was caught and crushed between the right rear compactor wheel and the body of the bulldozer, dragged approximately 15 feet. The victim died of major crush injuries to the chest and pelvis. At the time of the incident the backup warning alarm on the bulldozer was not operating. The victim had not alerted the driver that he would be working in this location. Had a right rear view mirror been mounted on the front right side of the cab, it would have been possible for the driver to view the victim. It is recommended that safety features be operable at all times, that workers be instructed to make equipment operators aware of their presence when working near operating equipment, and that machinery be equipped with devices to eliminate blind spots.
Keywords
NIOSH-Author; Region-3; FACE-93-07; Waste-disposal; Accident-analysis; Accident-prevention; Traumatic-injuries; Equipment-design; Construction-Search
Document Type
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation; Field Studies
NTIS Accession No.
PB94-118346
Identifying No.
FACE-93-07
Source Name
Division of Safety Research, NIOSH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Morgantown, West Virginia, Report Number FACE-93-07, 4 pages
