Incident Report Subject: Backhoe accident Date of Email reporting Incident: Mon 09/07/2001 10:45 Report Detail: On Monday, April 23, 2001 a contract backhoe operator was killed when he was pinned between the boom and an outrigger of a backhoe. He was transporting and setting up construction barricades for an upcoming project at an off-site industrial park. Some barricades (or barricade components) were being carried in the cab area of the backhoe. The backhoe was owned by Valero. Photos of the back hoe are attached at the end of this posting. The contractor was alone at the time of the incident so witness statements were not available. Information gathered by the investigation team suggests that the operator was standing between the outrigger and the boom when he reach up into the cab area to get a barricade. A barricade came in contact with the foot pedal that controlled the movement of the boom and the operator was pinned. He was initially aided by a passerby and then by Benecia Refinery EMTs and the Benecia Fire Department. He was transported by Life-Flight helicopter to John Muir Hospital, went into surgery immediately, was placed in intensive care, but died later. The backhoe was owned by Valero and was relatively new with less than 400 hours of service. The backhoe was running at the time of the incident. For this make and model of backhoe, there is a pin that must be manually placed in position to lock the boom in a straight position so that it cannot be moved. The pin was not in place at the time of the incident. (Different manufacturers have different ways of safing out boom movement). Warning decals were present in the area where the employee was that stated "Stay Clear of this Area When Machine is Operating. You Can Be Crushed By Swinging Boom." Immediate Recommendations:
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