A truck driver was killed when a 2,500-pound crate was pushed off of his flatbed trailer and onto him as he was attempting to place cargo straps into its underbody toolbox.
Investigators with the Washington State Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation (FACE) Program determined that the forklift operator’s obstructed view and the driver’s failure to wear a high-visibility vest and hardhat were contributing factors.
Driver usually unloaded freight himself
On March 23, 2023, the 63-year-old truck driver was delivering a load of roofing materials to a residential construction site for his employer, a sheet metal roofing manufacturer.
The materials he was delivering were loaded onto a flatbed trailer and consisted of metal sheets bundled in three 56-foot long wood crates and a few smaller crates. The three longer, heavier crates were on the driver’s side of the trailer.
For these kinds of deliveries, the driver typically brought along his own forklift to unload materials, but since he was carrying a longer load this time there was no room for it on the flatbed. There were construction workers nearby on the worksite, so he asked them if they could use their telehandler forklift to unload the trailer.
Forklift operator, spotters thought he was sitting in cab
One of the lead carpenters operated the telehandler forklift assisted by spotters at each end of the trailer. They unloaded the smaller crates on the passenger side of the flatbed first.
When they were finished with the smaller crates, the driver instructed them to lift two of the driver’s side long crates at the same time from the passenger’s side of the trailer so he could pull the truck forward from under them. The driver then went to the driver’s side of the trailer to put cargo straps into the underbody toolbox.
As the forklift operator began lifting the crates, the third crate was inadvertently pushed off the driver’s side of the trailer. The construction workers heard the crash of the falling crate and went around the trailer where they found the driver crushed under the fallen crate. The construction workers used a skid steer to lift the crate off of the driver, began performing CPR on the driver and called 9-1-1.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after the call was made, but the driver had already died at the scene.
Investigators found that:
- the crate’s base lacked enough clearance for the telehandler’s forks to slide under unobstructed
- the telehandler operator and spotter had obstructed views of the load and the workers on the ground
- everyone unloading the trailer thought the driver was in his truck cab while they were unloading the trailer, and
- a high-visibility vest and hardhat were not used by the driver while unloading was taking place.
Cargo securement training, unloading policy recommended
Based on the evidence, FACE Program investigators concluded that to prevent similar incidents, employers should provide cargo securement training, along with refreshers, for truck drivers who use flatbed trailers that emphasizes:
- pre-task planning
- maintaining situational awareness and clear visibility of workers, vehicles, equipment and loads
- wearing high-visibility clothing and PPE, and
- identifying blind zones around trailers.
FACE Program investigators also recommended:
- prohibiting forklift operators from unloading freight on flatbed trailers unless they are trained and certified to do so
- creating and enforcing a standard operating procedure policy for unloading freight in accident prevention programs
- ensuring that the policy for unloading freight requires truck drivers to perform a site hazard analysis of the unloading area
- having drivers place high visibility warning signs at each end of the blind zone on the opposite side of the flatbed trailer from where the forklift or crane operator is unloading, and
- having drivers wait in their truck cabs or designated safe zones when other workers are operating forklifts or cranes.
