Zagami, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Dec 16, 2019: Employee fractures elbow, injures back in fall while loading

At 11:30 a.m. on December 16, 2019, an employee working as a truck driver for an industrial equipment sales and rental facility was loading a drop deck flatbed trailer. The employee was working his normal shift from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (or 5:00 p.m. depending upon work) when he was assigned to transport a truck for warranty service at the dealership. The employee was using an assigned vehicle loading at the employer's business. The employee was an experienced truck driver with more than 40 years' experience driving and loading trucks. He parked the trailer on the north side of a dead-end cul-de-sac just outside of the yard area. The employee explained this made it easier to get a full trailer out into traffic. The driver's side of the truck was closest to the curb. The employee drove the truck up a portable ramp and onto the lower deck portion of the trailer. The lower deck sits at a height of 32 inches off of the ground. Because the truck body was as wide as the trailer, when the employee got out of the vehicle, he decided to climb down from the trailer rather than try to squeeze past the truck toward the ramp. He used the grab handle on the loaded truck to hold his weight as he lowered his foot toward a small flange that is part of the beam supporting the trailer bed. He missed the flange with his foot and overextended his reach on the grab bar, and so he began to fall. He struck the concrete curb with his left elbow and landed on the sidewalk. There were no witnesses, and all his coworkers were inside the building. The employee fractured his elbow, injured his back, left hip and shoulder and was hospitalized. The employee required surgical stabilization of the elbow with the installation of metal pins.