BACKGROUND: A shortwood pulpwood producer stopped to repair the two-speed axle on his truck prior to driving to the woodyard. The producer was salvaging dead pines on an isolated tract on a mild fall day in the South.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The 63-year old driver had over 30 years’ experience as a shortwood pulpwood producer. This father-son crew primarily salvaged dead timber for landowners in the area.
UNSAFE ACT/CONDITION: The driver left the log deck and drove a short distance with a loaded truck of dead pine. He stopped on a slight downhill slope to repair the two-speed axle on his one-ton truck. The driver slid under the truck without engaging the emergency brake and without chocking the wheels.
ACCIDENT: As the driver lay on his back and worked on the two-speed axle, his body was laying perpendicular to the rear tandem wheels and in front of them. The truck began to roll forward, and he quickly attempted, unsuccessfully, to swing his body between the forward path of the rear wheels.
INJURY: The driver was struck by the rear wheels on his left arm and shoulder breaking his arm. The wheels also crushed his left leg. When the driver’s son returned to the log deck with the skidder and some logs, he noticed the truck nearby and heard his father calling. The son immediately transported his father to a hospital some 35 miles away, taking about one hour to get there. The father died about eight hours later of massive internal injuries.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTION: Working on and under trucks and equipment requires special precautions. Some suggested guidelines for working under trucks and equipment include:
- Be sure the truck or equipment is located on flat terrain.
- Engage emergency brakes and turn the engine off before work commences.
- Check the brakes regularly to make sure that they work properly.
- Repair all faulty brakes immediately.
- Always chock both sides of the wheels with solid objects to prevent rolling.
- Avoid working directly in the path of the front and rear wheels as much as possible.
- Remember: never work alone.
Courtesy of the Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/