Cal/OSHA Cites Waste Collection Company After Fatal Accident
The worker who died was making a turn while operating the truck from the right-hand side when he fell out and was run over. Cal/OSHA investigators determined the truck had a safety chain for the truck cab opening that could not be used because a part was missing.
Cal/OSHA has cited GreenWaste Recovery Inc., a privately owned recycling and diversion company that collects and processes residential and commercial trash, yard trimmings, curbside recyclables, food waste, and construction and demolition debris, after a waste collection worker for the company died March 2 when he was run over by his own truck.
The agency's news release said it issued two general and two serious accident-related citations with $46,270 in penalties after an investigation found the company failed to ensure the truck's safety restraint was in working order and did not ensure it was being used by workers driving from the right-hand side of the truck.
The worker who died was making a turn while operating the truck from the right-hand side when he fell out and was run over, according to the release, which said Cal/OSHA investigators determined the truck had a safety chain for the truck cab opening that could not be used because a part was missing.
"Collection vehicles with the option to operate the truck from the right-hand side must be equipped with an occupant restraint system such as a door, locking or latching bar, safety chain, or strap," said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. "To prevent serious and fatal injuries, employers must maintain occupant restraints in working order and ensure the restraints are used by workers."
Cal/OSHA conducted inspections of GreenWaste Recovery Inc. involving three separate worker injuries during 2016 and 2017, the release states.