• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Work Zone Safety and MobilityTransportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Online Courses
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Toolboxes
    • Flagger
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
  • Public Awareness
  • About
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Asphalt Milling Superintendent Crushed Under Asphalt Milling Machine, Virginia

Abstract:

On August 5, 1994, a 40-year-old male asphalt milling superintendent (the victim) was crushed when the asphalt milling machine he was operating overturned off a transporter (lo-boy) trailer. The victim and two co-workers had just milled a section of interstate highway and were loading the asphalt milling machine for transport from the jobsite. As the victim trammed the machine up onto the transporter, wooden ramps being used to elevate the rear end of the machine over the transporter wheels dislodged, and the machine overturned off the transporter into a roadside culvert. The victim was trapped in the operator’s station and crushed as the machine rolled on top of him. One of the co-workers notified the EMS who responded immediately, followed by the medical examiner. The victim was pronounced dead at the site.

NIOSH investigators concluded that to prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

  • ensure that equipment used for loading mobile machines on transporters is configured so that precise alignment of the machine is not critical to the safety of the operation.

In addition, equipment designers, manufacturers, and employers should:

  • consider providing control station layouts that use dissimilar-shaped control levers for differing functions, or which include control lockout devices to prevent hazards from inadvertent control activation
  • consider machine operator visibility when developing machine designs and operational procedures.
Publisher: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Publication Date: 1994
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Crash Investigation; Crash Reports; Hazards; Prevention; Worker Safety

Copyright © 2025 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute