Construction Fatality Narrative: Operator Crushed Between Forklift and Storage Rack [2022]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 54-year-old forklift operator died after being crushed between a forklift and a storage rack. The operator and a coworker were installing large metal storage racks in a customer's warehouse. They were in the process of placing shims under the uprights to level the racks. The operator was using a forklift to raise the racks so they could install the shims while his coworker drilled holes in the concrete floor to anchor the uprights. The operator parked the forklift, shut off the engine, and set the parking brake. He then exited the forklift but left the forks raised to about 39 inches. He unknowingly parked on top of the cord of the drill his coworker was using. His coworker got in the forklift to move it and try to free the cord. He started the engine and put it in forward gear but did not know how to release the parking brake. He asked for assistance, so the operator reached into the cab and released the parking brake. Once the brake released, the forklift started moving toward the metal racks. The coworker swerved to avoid the racks and the operator was crushed between the rear of the forklift and one of the metal uprights. The coworker then panicked and jumped from the forklift, which finally came to a stop when its forks ran into a wall. The operator was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Following the incident, investigators found: 1. The employer had an Accident Prevention Program (APP) and had performed a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) prior to this task, but this situation was not an expected hazard. 2. Neither the operator nor the coworker had completed a required operator training program before operating the forklift or other powered industrial tucks (PITs). 3. The operator had received on the job training and was authorized by the employer to operate the forklift. The coworker was not trained or authorized to operate the forklift. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Employers must make sure employees successfully complete an operator training program before operating PITs. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences employers should: 1. Train workers to: 2. Identify unexpected situations, not specifically addressed in the JHA. 3. Evaluate the hazards associated with unexpected situations. 4. Control the hazards safely if possible and check with a supervisor if they cannot or have questions. 5. Instruct unauthorized workers never to operate PITs, even if only for a short time. Likewise, instruct authorized operators to prevent unauthorized workers from operating PITs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Equipment Operation Equipment Operators Exposure Levels Forklifts Hazards Protective Measures Risk Factors Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Training Warehousing Work Environment Workers Worker Safety

  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065781
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-225-2022, 2022 Aug; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Construction fatality narrative: operator crushed between forklift and storage rack
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:450ae22bc547c0293ab8fe9a87f509e0ad2255e816dab5142dc22d4a850629849e8d05c5874f49f579577d906366659fa1dd0c875d3ddf5de8005a55fba209f8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229124/cdc_229124_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 378.07 KB ]