Staffer fatally pinned to wall as load is pushed into trailer

Incident summary: The use of a poorly conceived, informal safety practice caused a female truck driver to be fatally crushed against the back wall of a freight container.

What happened: A truck driver backed her tractor-trailer into a loading dock so materials could be loaded into the vehicle’s 40-foot-long freight container, which was empty. Because her employer required that the trailer be kept clean, she went into the container and began to sweep up debris.

The employer had an informal practice that called for workers to place a cone or trash can at the entrance to the trailer to indicate that someone was inside. However, the driver didn’t follow this informal practice.

Meanwhile, an operator maneuvered a forklift with a load of four bales stacked two high into the container. Because of the size and height of the load, the forklift operator couldn’t see the woman inside the trailer. The female truck driver called out to the forklift operator, but he didn’t hear her cries.

The operator used the forklift to push the bales to the back of the container. He continued to load the trailer until it was full.

When someone later noticed that the truck driver was missing, a supervisor reviewed security camera footage and realized that she had gone into the container. The load was removed from the trailer, and the driver’s lifeless body was found at the far end of the container. She’d been crushed against the front wall by the load.

Findings: The informal practice of placing a trash can or cone in front of the trailer to indicate that someone was inside was inadequate. The employer needed a more formal way to let forklift operators know that someone was still inside the container.

(From the September 16, 2024, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here)