Hazard Recognized?

There are times when harm comes from seemingly out of nowhere, and unexpectedly. But, ask someone who’s been injured, “Did you know you could get hurt doing ‘that’?” the most likely answer will be, “Yes. But I was pretty sure I wouldn’t.” Which brings us to today’s case study.

The case took place at a fire station, where firefighters and paramedics regularly perform routine maintenance on their trucks and equipment. The problem? A fire truck with a dead battery, located in the engine compartment under the cab. For a first responder trained to work in the most hazardous of situations, changing out a battery would seem a simple and relatively safe task. 

This time it was not. 

As to what happened, as a maintenance worker and the paramedic were obtaining the model number of the battery to source a replacement, the hydraulic lift system that raises the cab open failed. The paramedic was crushed between the 2,500 lb. cab and engine compartment. 

A tragic incident, indeed. 

The investigation conducted by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health found there was no documentation that the hydraulic system had been previously inspected. The fire department was fined for failing to have procedures in place to ensure the fire engine was safe to service and maintain. 

Lessons learned, case closed?

Click on the link, watch the story, you’ll find one small but vitally important detail: the built-in locking mechanism only works with the cab fully extended, at the time of the incident it wasn’t, effectively making it a suspended load.

Nobody knows if they recognized that hazard. 

If the hazard was recognized, do you think they were “pretty sure” they wouldn’t get hurt?

Balmert Consulting
September 2024