A 60-year-old male bulk oil truck driver (victim) died of injuries he received after falling approximately 7 feet from an unguarded building-mounted work platform. The victim was re-filling his truck with lubricant for the next day's deliveries; he was alone at the time of the incident. Trucks were parked parallel to the 7-foot high, 10-foot long metal platform so the truck's 12-foot long top platform was about level with it. Two cement-filled posts located in front of the platform on ground level allowed trucks to park no closer than 16 - 18 inches from the work platform. Six 15-foot long bulk oil fill hoses were located 3 feet above the platform on the building wall. During loading, a fill hose was carried from the platform across the 18-inch space to a valve on top of the truck. The victim apparently slipped or tripped as he stepped from his truck back to the work platform to turn off the flow valve on the building. Evidence suggests he hit his head on the work platform and fell between it and his truck to the cement pad below. He sustained head injuries and died about one month after the incident. MN FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: (1) guardrails should be installed on open sides of elevated work platforms; and (2) good housekeeping policies and procedures to reduce the risk of slip/trip hazards should be maintained.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Minnesota: Male Truck Driver Dies After Falling From an Unguarded Building-Mounted Work Platform, FACE-93-MN-003
1993
4 pages
Report
No indication
English
Public Health & Industrial Medicine , Construction Materials, Components, & Equipment , Industrial Safety Engineering , Job Environment , Occupational safety and health , Accident investigation , Fatalities , Truck drivers , Accidental fall , Construction , Injuries , Occupational hazards , Work platform , Work operations , Accident prevention , Personal protective equipment , Safety , Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE)