June 2015
Photo of handicapped-accessible brake and accelerator pedals. Photo courtesy of Kentucky OSHA.
Auto technicians play an important role in ensuring the safety of our cars.
However, technicians encounter a number of dangers in their workplace when dealing with passenger vehicles that range in weight from about 2,200 to 3,300 lbs., depending upon the make and model.2
Nationally, there were 71 fatal injuries reported in the automotive repair and maintenance industry in 2012.3
The Kentucky (KY) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (KY FACE) program—funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)—investigated a death of a 50-year-old certified master technician who was struck by a car while sitting at a desk in a dealership’s service bay.
An auto technician working in the service bay was preparing a vehicle for an oil change when he mistook a handicapped-accessible accelerator pedal for the brake pedal.
The handicapped-accessible pedal, which can be removed, had a left foot accelerator made for individuals who have lost the ability to use their right foot.
Mistaking the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal caused the vehicle to strike the victim from behind and pin him against his desk and a wall causing blunt force injuries. After calling 911, an employee with emergency medical technician experience, rushed to the scene, assessed the situation, and covered him to prevent shock until emergency responders arrived. On the way to the hospital, the victim suffered cardiac arrest and died from his injuries.
The KY FACE
program investigator evaluated the incident and produced the report
"Auto Technician Mistakes Handicapped Accessible Accelerator Pedal for
Brake Pedal and Fatally Pins Co-Worker".4
The report identified two key recommendations to prevent future
incidents from occurring: (1) removal of handicapped-accessible
equipment prior to operation; and (2) moving office spaces away from car
servicing areas.
References
- U.S. Census Bureau [2012]. Automotive repair and maintenance (NAICS 8111). Industry snapshot. [http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport2/econsnapshot/2012/snapshot.hrml?NAICS=8111
].
- MacKenzie D, Zoepf S, Heywood J [2014]. Determinants of US passenger car weight. International Journal of Vehicle Design, 65(1): 73–93.
- BLS[2012]. Fatal occupational injuries by industry and event or exposure, all U.S., 2012. Bureau of Labor Statistics [http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0268.pdf
- NIOSH
[2014]. Auto technician mistakes handicapped-accessible accelerator
pedal for brake pedal and fatally pins co-worker. Kentucky Fatality
Assessment and Control Evaluation Program, Kentucky Injury Prevention
Research Center, National Occupational Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. Kentucky Report 14KY001. [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/pdfs/14KY001.pdf
]. Date accessed: March 2015.
- Veigel [2015]. Veigel electronic left foot accelerator brochure.