Warehouse worker dies after falling 12 feet from a pallet raised on a forklift truck.
Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
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 94NJ055, 1994 Sep; :1-4
Abstract
On March 16, 1994, a 19 year-old male warehouse order picker was fatally injured after falling from a pallet that was raised on the forks of a forklift truck. The incident occurred when the victim and a co-worker were getting an order of paper products that had been stored on the top tier of a warehouse storage rack. The victim was raised on the forklift and had retrieved a box of paper when he stepped off the edge of the pallet, falling 12 feet to the concrete floor. The victim died on March 17, 1994, four hours after the incident. NJDOH FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers should ensure that employees are properly trained and supervised before performing a job task. 2. Forklifts should be provided with a properly designed platform for raising employees. 3. Employers should develop and implement a written certification program for operating powered equipment. 4. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers. 5. Employers and employees should develop and implement a comprehensive safety program with the assistance of a joint labor/management safety committee.
Keywords
Accident-analysis; Accident-potential; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-practices; Safety-measures; Traumatic-injuries; Work-practices; Training; Region-2; Safety-programs; Hazards; Work-performance; Work-practices; Workers; Equipment-design; Warehousing
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2013-100003
Identifying No.
FACE-94NJ055; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
