Could This Have Been You?

On average, 5,000 to 6,000 workers are killed each year. Learn from the following reports of real workplace fatalities to avoid a similar fate.

A 35-year-old paving crew worker was killed when caught between a trailer and a piece of equipment.

He was working between an asphalt machine which is about 60 feet (18 meters) long, and a dump truck with a trailer. He was a member of a three-person crew working as spotters for the machine. The crew was removing asphalt from the road surface.

The victim was walking between the machine and the dump, when the operator of the asphalt machine did not see that the victim had moved. The victim also did not tell the operator that he had moved. The asphalt machine came in contact with the trailer of the truck and crushed the worker.

Do your equipment operators, truck drivers and ground personnel maintain contact with each other?

Do you have a site plan (foot and vehicle traffic), and is it communicated to all workers?

Are your workers wearing high visibility clothing such as bright vests or pants?