OSHA cites transportation co. after grain yard manager was hit by semi truck in Nebraska

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a transportation company after a grain yard manager suffered severe injuries when she was struck by a truck earlier this year.

OSHA cited New York-based Rail Modal Group for 23 violations, including failing to protect workers from being struck by moving vehicles, the agency announced on May 7, 2024.

The company is facing $261,375 in proposed penalties.

According to OSHA, on January 2, 2024, a yard manager employed by Rail Modal Group LLC was struck by a semi truck while directing congested traffic in a storage yard located in Fremont, Nebraska.

The yard manager was hospitalized with major injuries.

OSHA said that the manager had only been on the job less than six months when the accident occurred.

Prior to the accident that hospitalized the yard manager, OSHA had already launched an investigation into the Fremont grain yard on on November 6, 2023, following complaints of unsafe working conditions, “including exposure to struck-by vehicle hazards.”

“Being struck by moving vehicles is one of the most deadly and common hazards on job sites. Employers must conduct risk assessments, implement engineering controls and take all necessary precautions to protect workers from this danger,” explained OSHA Area Director Matt Thurlby in Omaha, Nebraska. “Employers who implement safety and health programs that address the hazards unique to their operations and train workers on how to avoid injuries can help prevent similar tragedies and ensure all workers go home safely at the end of their shifts.”