Background: A tractor-trailer with a sleeper cab, delivering a load of treelength pulpwood to a Northeastern mill on an early winter day, was positioned under the overhead grapple crane for unloading. The mill’s unloading policy called for the driver to exit the vehicle and wait in a designated visible safe location during unloading, with any passengers remaining in the scalehouse. The mill also required trucks to have an adequate headache rack in place behind the cab. The weather was cold and clear but was not a factor in the incident.
Personal Characteristics: The operator of the unloading crane had several years of experience with a good safety record and was considered competent.