Safety Alert for Supervisors: 08/03/2026

Incident summary A crew member was killed because he failed to deploy a jack before he began climbing a ladder to access the top of a plastic cone bottom tank attached to a trailer. What happened Two employees had just completed their work for the day and were walking toward their personal vehicles when one of the men noticed that the latch on a lid for a cone bottom tank wasn’t fully fastened. The 525-gallon plastic cone bottom tank was positioned atop a trailer. It contained powder that the work crew had used earlier that day. The trailer, the powder and the plastic cone tank weighed a combined 4,000 pounds. The worker decided to close the latch by climbing a metal ladder attached to the back of the trailer. As he began climbing, the trailer started tipping toward him. The staffer couldn’t get off the ladder quickly enough, and the entire apparatus knocked him to the ground, then landed on top of him. The pinned employee called out for help, and his mate rushed over to assist him. The coworker moved the trailer off the victim and dialed 9-1-1. But by the time emergency responders arrived, the employee was already dead from his severe crushing injuries. Findings Because the apparatus had a high center of gravity, a rear jack had been attached to the trailer to prevent the equipment from tipping over. But the victim failed to deploy the jack before he began climbing the ladder, probably because he hadn’t been trained on safety protocols for trailers. Furthermore, the trailer was positioned on soft, sandy ground, even though the manufacturer’s safety instructions mandated that the trailer be placed on a solid, level surface. Worker fatally crushed after unstable apparatus tips over Staffer pinned under 4,000-pound load while climbing ladder You make the call: Employer ignored manufacturer’s instructions; man dead “ Y our crew member wouldn’t have died if your organization had followed the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining that hazardous machine,” said Tammy, the compliance officer. “I’m citing you for violating our general duty clause, which requires you to provide a safe workplace.” “We do provide a safe workplace,” replied George, the supervisor, “but we can’t anticipate that equipment will be defective.” “What do you mean?” asked Tammy. Sitting in the cab “Our worker was killed while he was sitting in a cab positioned at the base of a boom while he was operating a digger derrick,” said George. “The derrick began making odd sounds and, without warning, the boom detached from the pedestal and fell off. He was ejected from the cab and landed on the ground. His injuries were fatal.” “My investigation has revealed that the boom detached from the pedestal because the bolts on the pedestal were loose,” said Tammy. “The manufacturer’s manual for the derrick says the bolts should be annually torque tested, but I’ve learned that you stopped torque testing years ago.” “It’s true that we no longer do torque testing,” said George. “However, the boom fell because the equipment had a design defect.” “It doesn’t matter whether the derrick had a design defect,” said Tammy. “You could’ve reduced the risk to your employees with annual torque testing.” Wasn’t the issue “The lack of torque testing wasn’t the issue,” said George. “We’ll challenge your citation.” Did the company win? 2 Safety News New data bulletin reveals huge increase in worker fatalities in one industry. 2 Quick Ideas Here’s how your staffers can protect themselves from poisonous plants. 3 Legal Developments Man fired after reporting safety violation sues for whistleblower retaliation. 3 Horror Stories Mom rushed to job site to kiss her badly injured 18-year-old one last time. 4 Safety Meeting Find out why fatigued crew members are more likely to suffer injuries. In this issue ■ Make your call, then go to page 3 for the court’s ruling. August 3, 2026 SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS The No. 1 source of actionable information to help supervisors keep their people safe Including: Supervisor’s Safety Toolbox