Company & Worker Fined $176,000 for Fatal Crushing of Worker

A driver backed up a truck into a drop-off bay at a waste management transfer station, got out and went to the back of the truck. A worker operating a front-end loader pushed waste toward the back of the bay and then reversed the loader. After hearing a call for help, the worker stopped the loader and saw the driver face down on the ground behind the truck. The driver died from crushing injuries. The waste management company pleaded guilty to an OHS violation and was fined $170,000. The worker who operated the loader pleaded guilty to failing to operate a vehicle in a manner that didn’t endanger another worker and was fined $6,000 [Southern Sanitation Inc. and Abdul Maneed Malik, Govt. News Release, April 8, 2014].