Forklift Operator Dies After Falling Into a Recycling Baler — California

Cierpich, Hank

doi:10.26616/NIOSHSFACE22CA001

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Forklift Operator Dies After Falling Into a Recycling Baler — California

2023/03/24
By Cierpich, Hank
Series: Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)

English

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Details:

Personal Author:

Cierpich, Hank
Corporate Authors:

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch

California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch Less -
Description:

On September 2, 2022, at the end of the night shift, a 58-year-old forklift operator was delivering waste into a recycling baler. He climbed down from the forklift while it was still running, and left the forks in a raised position. Although this was an unwitnessed incident, video from a nearby security camera showed him climbing the stairs to the recycling baler control panel. When he didn't answer his radio or return the forklift at the end of his shift, co-workers began a search for him. He was found inside the recycling baler crushed to death. California FACE (CA/FACE) investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers using recycling equipment should: Ensure that all personnel who operate balers are fully trained and supervised on procedures to remove a jam properly. In addition, recycling baler manufacturers should: Design and install safety features to keep workers away from moving parts.
Subjects:

[+]

Accidents, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
Keywords:

[+]

Accident Analysis Balers Equipment Operation Fatalities Injury Prevention Machine Safety OSHA Region 9 Paper Manufacturing Industry Recommendations Traumatic Injuries
FACE - NIOSH and State:

All (0000) ; Machine (All) (0011) ; Machine Manufacturing (0012) ; Prevention through Design (PtD) (0025)

All (0000) ; Machine (All) (0011) ; Machine Manufacturing (0012) ; Prevention through Design (PtD) (0025) Less -
Series:

Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
Subseries:

State
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE22CA001
Publisher:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Document Type:

Text
Funding:

Cooperative Agreement
Genre:

Field Study
Place as Subject:

California ; OSHA Region 9

California ; OSHA Region 9 Less -
CIO:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Topic:

Workplace Safety & Health
Location:

North America
Pages in Document:

1-10
Contributor:

Harrison, Robert; Styles, Laura; Shor, Glenn
NIOSHTIC Number:

20067323
Citation:

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 22CA001, 2023 Mar; :1-10
Federal Fiscal Year:

2023
Performing Organization:

California Department of Public Health
Peer Reviewed:

False
NAICS and SIC Codes:

31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS 2022)
Start Date:

2005/07/01
End Date:

2026/06/30
Resource Number:

FACE-22CA001
Collection(s):

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Main Document Checksum:

[+]

urn:sha-512:ca3c96acaf08abec4d9042d5be71f654fdc2874fc05b8b293b1550ba68948ad3e739fc78259dd0e13270b1b25aeb9bc45e4563469792ffa7f8632639a32282f3
Download URL:

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164850/cdc_164850_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF-950.52 KB]