Forklift operator crushed to death between forklift truck cage and metal beam.
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 97NJ047, 1998 Feb; :1-7
Abstract
On July 7, 1997, a 37-year-old forklift operator at a trucking company was killed when he was caught and crushed between his forklift's protective cage and a metal load bar. The incident occurred at a shipping terminal as the victim was unloading a trailer with a forklift truck. He was working inside a trailer equipped with a built-in racking system that allowed pallets to be set on adjustable horizontal load bars inside the trailer. The victim was unloading near the back of the trailer when he approached a load bar that he could not pass under. Standing up inside the forklift, he reached out the front of the lift's protective cage to push the beam up and out of the way. As he did this, he apparently leaned against a control lever which moved the idling forklift forward, trapping his head between the lift's cage and the load bar he was trying to move. NJ FACE investigators concluded that, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers should develop and implement a written training and certification program for operating forklift trucks. 2. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers. 3. Employers should develop and implement a comprehensive written safety program.
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; Occupational-accidents; Occupational-hazards; Occupational-safety-programs; Work-analysis; Work-operations; Truck-drivers; Transportation-industry
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2013-100014
Identifying No.
FACE-97NJ047; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
