Boeing Cited For Worker's Loss of Legs

Boeing has been cited by Washington State authorities for a serious safety violation at Paine Field, after a worker was pinned under a B787 airliner for 30 minutes in February.

In it's final report into the accident the state department of Occupational Safety and Health said the plane maker did not enforce and supervise its own safety procedures on the field. The investigators also found that the workers were not using adequate task lighting. Boeing was fined $3,600 for the first infraction and nothing for the second. The report did not state how the penalties were calculated.

Josh Diver, 30, was pulled under the quarter million pound jet, which was destined for Japan Airlines, as it was being moved. He was hospitalized in critical condition and one week after the event, both legs had to be amputated.

Through it all, Mr. Diver has remained mum about the accident.
Reached today, his father Del Diver, said neither man had received a copy of the findings, but that they expected to hear from Boeing. The senior Mr. Diver said he did not wish to comment before seeing the report. "Josh's goal is to get better and get back to work," his father told me.

The report today follows a 5 month investigation that was sent to Boeing, and presumably the union representing ramp workers, but it was not made public and the agency would take no questions.
Still, the summary of the finding paints a picture of a ramp operation cutting corners in ways that have led to accidents in the past.

According to the citation the person supervising the towing of the airliner, instructed the two wing walkers and tail walker to move from their assigned positions and were unable to monitor the person chocking the plane or the person driving the tug. Josh Driver was chocking the plane when it began to move pulling him under the wheels where he was trapped.