OSHA: Landfill death was tragedy, not a violation

[Omaha Steve]

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_9428260

By MIKE HOOVER

Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Last Updated: 05/30/2008 02:23:53 PM EDT

There were no violations of workplace standards when a New Jersey trucker was crushed by his own tractor-trailer and a trash compactor at the Modern Landfill Feb. 15, a government official said Friday.

Rather, a federal investigation concluded the death of Norman Jones, 41, of Magnolia, N.J., was a "tragic accident," that may never be fully explained, said David Roccasecca, acting director of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Harrisburg.

Jones was crushed to death when his tractor-trailer became disabled after unloading trash at the landfill in Windsor Township. He was run over by his own tractor and trailer and a trash compactor.

Moments before getting crushed, Jones was in the cab of the truck talking to his employer, Wilkie Trucking Inc. in Clarksboro, N.J., telling his dispatcher he was waiting for someone to push his truck out of the mire in the landfill.

Roccasecca said it remains a mystery why Jones was out of his truck. He may have slipped in the mud, fallen out of the truck or was on the ground inspecting the undercarriage of the trailer for some reason, he said.

"No one will ever know what he was doing. The only person who does is Jones, and he is dead," Roccasecca said.

FULL story at link.