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What happened?
A track hoe was being unloaded from a trailer.
The track hoe slid sideways down the ramp, tipped off the side of the trailer and landed on its side.
The side window broke on impact, and the operator (who was wearing a seatbelt) received a small cut on his hand.
1 gallon of oil spilled from the track hoe to the ground.
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Why did it happen?
The track hoe’s tracks were packed with snow and ice, causing one track to slide forward down the ramp.
The crew identified ice as a hazard. They cleared the trailer deck and ramp, but not the track hoe’s tracks.
There was no material on the steel ramp/dovetail to provide the track hoe with a grip.
The ground was unlevel and the trailer had to be repositioned to mitigate the side-to-side slope.
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What did they learn?
De-ice trailers and tracks as much as possible.
Place steel guide rails at the back of dovetail trailers to help prevent slipping when offloading.
Identify level ground when offloading large equipment to avoid having to mitigate side-to-side slopes.
In icy conditions, consider using a different trailer and ramp design (e.g. low-boy) to lower the risk of slipping.
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Ask yourself or your crew
What other actions could have been taken?
How can something like this happen here?
Think of a time when you had to unload a large piece of equipment in challenging weather conditions. What could have gone wrong?
What improvements can we make to how we unload heavy machinery?
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Published on 10/04/19
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A track hoe was being unloaded from a trailer. The track hoe slid sideways down the ramp, tipped off the side of the trailer and landed on its side.
