BACKGROUND: The owner-operator of a self-loading pulpwood truck with an attached pup trailer was loading the truck body with pulpwood. The loader was rear-mounted on the truck frame to allow the operator to load both the truck and pup trailer. It was a cold, late fall day in the Northeast. There was no snow on the ground. Weather was not a factor in the incident.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The driver, approximately 35 years old, had been an owner-operator for several years. He was considered experienced.
UNSAFE ACT OR CONDITION: The loader seat was mounted to the loader frame with tubular steel stock. Unknown to the operator, the tubular seat frame had corroded from the inside, likely as a result of extra exposure to road salt spray due to the location at the rear of the truck. The corrosion was severe enough that the structural integrity of the seat was compromised.
ACCIDENT: When the operator mounted the seat and began loading, the seat supports gave way with no warning, and he fell backward from a height of approximately 10 feet. As he fell, he bounced off the tongue of the pup-trailer before landing on ground. He narrowly missed being impaled on exposed truck and trailer components.
INJURY: In spite of the height from which he fell, the operator escaped serious injury. The impact knocked the wind out of him and bruised his shoulder. He suffered no broken bones and was able to return to work in a few days. This incident could easily have led to a fatality or severely disabling injury.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION:
- Inspect loader seat mounts for integrity on a regular basis
- If the seat mount is made of tubular stock, consider replacing with angle iron, which has no concealed space.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/