OSHA investigating workplace death of Waste Management employee in Millcreek Township

Federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration officials are investigating the workplace death of a Ripley, New York, man who had been operating a Waste Management refuse vehicle in Millcreek Township on Monday.

The accident occurred around 1 p.m. in the 300 block of Glenridge Road, according to Millcreek Township police. The victim, identified as 32-year-old Deveon Hubbart, died from penetrating blunt-force trauma, according to Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook.

"He was working alone on the garbage truck when he apparently climbed on top of the vehicle, jumped down and landed on a snowplow stake," Cook said.

Hubbart was taken to UPMC Hamot but was pronounced dead Monday at 11:41 p.m. due to severe blood loss and other injuries, Cook said.

Waste Management issued the following statement about the incident: "This week, the WM team lost one of our own, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased."

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The company notified OSHA about the accident on Tuesday, according to OSHA area director Brendan Claybaugh.

"We are actively investigating the case and the company is working with us," Claybaugh said. "We dispatched a compliance officer to talk with the company. Our job is to determine if there were any violations of OSHA standards."

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Claybaugh said the OSHA investigation is in its early stages of gathering information. Millcreek police also continue to investigate the death, which they have identified as a non traffic-related accident.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: OSHA investigating Waste Management worker death in Millcreek Township