FOREST INDUSTRY
SAFETY ALERT
Broken tie-rod end causes pickup truck to enter ditch
Location: Holberg Forest Operation, Western Forest Products Inc. (northern Vancouver Island)
Date of Incident: July 4, 2011
Details of Incident: A worker was driving to his job when the driver’s side tie-rod end pulled apart
due to wear, causing the driver to lose steering control as he approached a logging road bridge. The
brow log on the right side of the bridge kept the vehicle on the road as it skidded along it but when it
came to the end of the brow log (end of the bridge), the vehicle was forced into the ditch as the
steering was turned hard over to the right.
The truck came to rest when it hit the bottom of the ditch. The driver was operating at a safe speed
which allowed the vehicle to leave the road surface and enter the ditch at a slow speed where it
came to a stop. There were no injuries and only minor damage to the pickup truck.
Vehicle service records show minimal mileage on this particular tie-rod end. Horizontal play in the
tie-rod end was not detected during the service inspection, which was conducted two months prior
to the incident. Immediately after the incident, all pickup trucks were inspected, revealing a similar
issue with one other vehicle. The company has decided to increase the frequency of steering
component inspections by training pickup truck drivers to conduct them bi-weekly.
Recommended Preventative Actions:
 Remind all employees that although rare, immediate steering, suspension and tire failures
occur. It is critical that the driver is operating at a safe speed to be able to react to the
situation and avoid serious injury.
 Steering 'input' while a vehicle is completely stopped increases wear on critical steering
components. Minimize this practice wherever conditions allow.
For more information, please call: Clint Cadwallader 250-288-3362 ext. 301 or Mark Haupt 250203-7184
(See next page for images of tie-rod end damage)
1
Broken tie-rod end on pickup truck
2