North Carolina Officials Cite Wake County for Safety Violations

May 14, 2008

North Carolina officials cited Wake County with four serious violations in the death of a mechanic working on an ambulance earlier this year.

Thirty-three-year-old David Lee Champion died Feb. 23 when a pneumatic jack slipped from the chassis and dropped a 14,000 pound ambulance on him.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported May 13 that state officials concluded there were no jack stands or wheel chocks in place to help secure the ambulance.

The state Labor Department’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Wake County $22,400.

Wake’s General Services director David Goodwin says the county takes the violations seriously and has taken steps to improve its safety program. Wake officials met with state officials to review the investigation last week.
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Information from: The News & Observer,
http://www.newsobserver.com