NIOSH • 1000 Frederick Lane, Morgantown, WV 26508 • 304-285-5916

FACE IT: Report Visual Extension
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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Oil and Gas Delivery Driver Crushed Between a 

Dozer and a Semi-truck While Connecting 

Towline—West Virginia 

(FACE 2015-01)

Incident scene, showing terrain and hill accessing the well site.

(Photo courtesy of WV OSHA.)
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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SUMMARY 

• A 24-year-old oil and gas 

delivery truck driver was 

crushed between a dozer 

and the front of his semitruck. 

• The driver was delivering 

concrete to the job site 

and, due to the hilly 

terrain, needed a tow to 

the well site. 

Dozer involved in the incident. Note: The tow 

hook and tail chain have been removed.
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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SUMMARY 

• The towing dozer operator 

backed to the front of the 

driver’s semi-truck and exited 

his cab to connect to the 

dozer’s towline. 

• When the dozer operator was 

exiting the cab of the dozer, it 

is believed his foot hit the 

parking brake lever and the 

dozer rolled backward, 

crushing the driver between 

the two vehicles.

Tow hook and tail 

chain, showing 

length of towline 

at time of 

incident.

(Photo courtesy of WV 

OSHA.)

Parking lever (2).

(Photo courtesy of WV 

OSHA)
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

• Lack of safety training or standard operating procedure for 

towing vehicles

• Lack of appropriate safeguards for equipment

• Lack of spotter or designated hookup personnel

• Steep terrain

• Short length of chain being used; winch cable and chain not 

spooled out

• Truck not properly equipped ahead of time for towing (i.e., 

no D-ring pre-mounted on hitch pin)
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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Employers should:

• Ensure employees follow safe 

operating procedures as written in 

the equipment’s operations manual.

• Implement standard operating 

procedures for equipment 

operations such as parking and 

towing.

• Use a job hazard analysis (JHA) to 

identify and eliminate towing 

hazards.

Warning label from the Komatsu 

operations manual.

(Adapted from Komatsu [2004].)
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• Employees should:

• Ensure vehicles are properly 

equipped for towing prior to 

initiating the towing connection 

procedures (either have a D-ring 

pre-mounted on the truck’s 

hitch pin or have a D-ring in the 

truck).

• When possible, ensure a 

designated area is flat prior to 

making towing connections.

RECOMMENDATIONS (Continued)

D-ring needed for connection 

between hook and hitch pin.

(Photo courtesy of WV OSHA.)
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• Dozer equipment 

manufacturers should:

• Consider providing an 

engineering control, 

such as an interlock or 

other safeguards, to 

prevent parking brake 

levers from disengaging.

RECOMMENDATIONS (Continued)

Safety lock lever (1) and parking lever (2).

(Illustration adapted from Komatsu [2004].)
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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Oil and Gas Delivery 

Driver Crushed Between 

a Dozer and a Semi-truck 

While Connecting 

Towline—West Virginia 

(FACE 2015-01)

Download the full report: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/pdfs/full201501.pdf
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program

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CONTACT US

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation 

Surveillance and Field Investigations Branch

Division of Safety Research, NIOSH

1000 Frederick Lane, M/S 1808

Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888

FACE Web Site: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/

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