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Stocker/order picker dies after 12-foot fall from an elevated pallet - South Carolina, September 15, 1993.

NIOSH

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 94-02, 1994 Mar; :1-5

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/In-house/full9402.html

00223307

This report concerned the death of a 25 year old stocker and order picker who fell 12 feet to a concrete floor. The employer was a multistate retail merchandise distributor in operation for 40 years and employing 16,000 workers. The incident occurred at a site where 235 workers were employed. On the day of the accident the victim and a coworker were restocking shelves on the 10:30pm to 6am shift. A coworker raised the victim on a loaded pallet to the top shelf using a cherry picker, then left the cherry picker and began loading more pallets at floor level. The victim was wearing a safety belt which was to be attached to a 5 foot nylon lanyard that was permanently affixed to the cherry picker's falling object protective structure above him. The restacking was accomplished without incident. When the second batch of merchandise was stocked, the coworker raised the victim on an empty pallet to pull an order. The victim apparently lost his balance as he was loading the pallet and fell backward, 12 feet to the floor. The coworker heard a sound, and found the victim lying on the floor. The victim died 5 days later of head trauma. He was wearing the safety belt, but was not attached to the lanyard at the time of his fall. Recommendations included ensuring that workers continually adhere to safe work procedures, encouraging workers to participate in workplace safety, and conducting worksite safety inspections.

NIOSH-Author; Region-4; FACE-94-02; Accident-analysis; Safety-research; Work-practices; Safety-equipment; Warehousing

19940308

Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation

1994

PB95-171237

A01

FACE-94-02

DSR

NAICS-49

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

SC; WV