Warehouse checker crushed under a 4,000 pound crate falling from a forklift truck.
Source
NIOSH 1997 Mar; :1-4
Abstract
On April 26, 1996, a 25-year-old warehouse checker was critically injured after being crushed under a crate falling from a forklift truck. The incident occurred in a large warehouse as the victim was assisting a forklift operator in loading a 3,900 pound crate of plate glass onto a trailer. The crate, which measured 84 inches long by 71 inches high by 16 inches wide, was loosely set on the forks and leaning against the mast of the forklift. The victim stood to the side of the crate as the forklift drove towards the trailer and then stepped in front of the crate as it entered the truck. When the forklift passed over the docking plate, the unsecured crate was jostled and fell onto the victim. The victim was severely injured and died the next day. NJ FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. The employer should ensure that established company safety procedures are followed at all times. 2. Employers should develop and implement a written procedure for handling dangerous or unusual loads. 3. Employers should periodically inspect the loading docks for potential safety hazards.
Keywords
Accident-analysis; Accident-potential; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-education; Safety-practices; Safety-measures; Traumatic-injuries; Work-practices; Training; Region-2; Occupational-accidents; Occupational-hazards; Work-analysis; Work-areas; Work-environment; Work-operations; Safety-programs; Industrial-engineering; Industrial-hazards; Industrial-safety; Warehousing
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2013-100028
Identifying No.
FACE-96NJ062; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
