July 9, 2018 | Mark Paradies

Monday Accident & Lessons Learned: Fatal Accident While Unloading a Truck

WKBW TV reported that two employees were killed when a stack of Corian counter tops that weighed 800 pounds per slab (11 slabs total) fell on them. The accident occurred at 1:30 a.m. and the employees were pronounced dead at the scene.

The company issued a statement that said:

“We’re saddened to report that a tragic accident occurred this morning at our facility in Lockport, NY that resulted in the death of two of our colleagues. We’re working with our safety team and local law enforcement to understand the circumstances under which this tragedy occurred. Our deepest sympathies are with their families and our Lockport team members.”

OSHA will be conducting an investigation of the deaths. OSHA has investigated two other serious injuries at XPO facilities elsewhere in New York state.

What was the Hazard in this accident?

The heavy, high-piled load.

Who were the targets?

The two employees.

What were the Safeguards?

From the newspaper articles, we don’t know.

We also don’t know any of the reasons for the Safeguard’s failure.

The root cause analysis will have to determine the Safeguards, why they failed, and if they were sufficient. (Do we need additional Safeguards?)

In the TapRooT® System, a SnapCharT® would be used to collect and organize the information about what happened.

Then the failed Safeguards would be identified.

Next, the failed Safeguards (Causal Factors) would be analyzed to find their root causes using the Root Cause Tree® Diagram.

Once the root causes for all the Safeguards were found, the team would start developing corrective actions.

The Safeguards would be reviewed to see if after they were strengthened, if they would be adequate. If they would not be adequate, either additional Safeguards would be developed or the process could be modified to reduce or remove the hazard. For example, stack the counter tops no more that 16 inches high.

To improve the Safeguards that failed, you would address each of the root causes by developing SMARTER corrective actions using the Corrective Action Helper® Module of TapRooT® Software.

What is a SMARTER corrective action?

Specific

Measurable

Accountable

Reasonable

Timely

Effective

Reviewed

To learn more about the TapRooT® System, SnapCharT®, Safeguard Analysis, Causal Factors, the Root Cause Tree® Diagram, the Corrective Action Helper® Module, the TapRooT® Software, and SMARTER, attend one of our 2-Day or 5-Day TapRooT® Courses. Here is a list of the dates and locations of the courses being held around the world:

http://www.taproot.com/store/Courses

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