Police Officer Fatally Injured When Struck by a Backing Dump Truck at a Public Roadway Construction Work Zone – Massachusetts

On December 1, 2000, a 60-year-old male police officer (the victim) was fatally injured when he was crushed beneath an asphalt loaded dump truck at a public roadway construction site. The dump truck involved in the incident was backing inside the work zone while the victim was walking away from the dump truck preparing to help the truck back. Two truck drivers parked within the construction site noticed the dump truck was backing in line with the walking officer. They attempted to warn the officer and the backing truck operator. The dump truck struck and knocked the victim to the ground and then backed over him with the left rear wheels. On site police officers placed emergency assistance calls and responded to the victim who was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, employers/roadway construction contractors should:

• Carefully evaluate project scheduling by considering the type of work zone set up, the time of day and the time of year the work will be performed
• Develop, implement and enforce an internal traffic control plan (ITCP) specific to each construction site to reduce backing of construction vehicles
• Ensure backing procedures are in place and that designated individuals are assigned as signalers to direct backing construction vehicles on construction sites
• Immediately repair equipment when problems, such as broken back-up alarms, arise

In addition, local and state government agencies should:

• Consider offering work zone safety training for all municipal officers who perform traffic details on roadway construction site
• Consider applicants’ past work practices and safety record for all submitted bids to perform roadway construction work

In addition, manufacturers of heavy construction equipment, such as dump trucks, should:

• Explore the possibility of incorporating new monitoring technology on their equipment that will assist the operator while backing.