Date of incident: April 2015
Notice of incident number: 2015167040144
Employer: Stone or marble product manufacturer

Incident summary

During the renovation of a residential property, a pickup truck backed up a steep driveway for unloading a large granite countertop. The driver was unable to engage the parking brake. A 2×4 piece of lumber was placed under the front right tire and a stone under the left front tire. While several workers were unloading the granite countertop from the back of the truck, the truck began to roll down the steep slope of the driveway and then across the road before coming to rest in a ravine. The three workers who were in the box of the truck received varying injuries.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Failure to adequately secure the truck from moving: The three injured workers were working in the back of a pickup truck that was not adequately chocked or secured. While the workers moved the granite countertop out of the truck, the truck began to rock. The parking brake was not engaged, and this rocking motion may have caused the transmission to change from park into neutral. The truck began rolling downhill while the workers were still in the back.

Underlying factor

• Inadequate maintenance: Although the employer had only used the pickup truck occasionally over the last five years, it was licensed for street use and used by the company. The lack of maintenance allowed the truck to deteriorate, creating an unsafe vehicle that was a serious hazard to the occupants and others when the vehicle was operated.

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