At about 3:45 p.m., a dump truck fell 9 m while dumping sand at the top of a massive rock quarry. The driver suffered a double forearm fracture and an injured dorsal vertebra and was granted medical leave of absence from his job for 95 days. Access to the storage platform was closed.

The Inspection Authorities for Classified Facilities identified several causes for this accident:

• caving of the stock: excessive sloping, stability at the top edges of the platform not guaranteed after removal of material at the base of the stock;
• the position of the barricade along the stockpile’s limit, without safety distance;
• the height of the protective barricade not allowing a vehicle to be retained;
• the driver had wanted to tip the load directly into the stockpile and thus moved in too close to the edge;
• the driver had insufficient training and experience, as he performed these operations only occasionally when filling in for his co-workers;
• inadequate procedures, particularly concerning tipping onto the stockpile.

The operator shall take the following corrective measures:

• reduction of stock height;
• drafting of sand stock management policy;
• study of the removal of this type of heap storage;
• weekly monitoring of the elements indicating the safety limits: stakes, fences, blocks, hopper stops;
• updating of the risk assessment;
• scheduling of a weekly safety meeting.