Missouri UPS worker killed on the job two weeks before planned retirement
A longtime UPS employee in St Louis was fatally struck by a company vehicle at work, just two weeks before he was set to retire after 44 years with the company. Federal labor officials are investigating.
Paul Roberts, 63, of St Charles, Missouri, died after being struck by a UPS company vehicle while on duty at the company's customer care center in Earth City on the night of September 4. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver of the vehicle cooperated with police who responded to the incident.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into the death, a process officials say could take up to six months.
Nearing retirement
Roberts's family told local media he had planned to retire on September 17, after 44 years with UPS. He began his career as a teenager sorting packages and held various roles over the decades, most recently working as a feeder truck driver. He was looking forward to spending his retirement gardening. In March, he had married his wife, Barb, after 37 years together.
Roberts's sister, Donna Schraer, told reporters it was hard to believe he died so close to finally being able to relax, adding that the news left her shocked. A local television station reported that UPS employees had reached out with concerns about dark conditions on the night of the accident, as well as broader workplace safety issues.
UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer said the company focuses on employee safety every day and has invested more than 35 million hours and over $2 billion in safety training since 2021. He expressed condolences to Roberts's family, friends and coworkers. The Teamsters Local 688 union, of which Roberts was a member, called his death a tragedy and said member safety remains the top priority.
According to information cited by the St Louis Post-Dispatch, OSHA records show no other fatalities at the site, though two past incidents there resulted in amputations and others in heat-related injuries, none involving vehicles. Roberts is survived by his wife, sister, children and grandchildren.
