Forklift operator dies after backing his forklift off a loading dock.
Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
NIOSH 2003 Aug; :1-10
Abstract
On August 30, 2002, a 39-year-old male forklift operator was fatally injured when he was crushed under a fallen forklift. The victim was a full-time forklift operator at a company that manufactured wooden pallets. At 2:48 p.m., the victim was using an 8,600 pound forklift to move waste material into a large, drive-in waste dumpster positioned at the company's outdoor loading dock. The victim had apparently just dumped the waste and was backing out of the dumpster when he backed off the side of the loading dock, falling 3 feet 9 inches to the asphalt. He was partly thrown from the forklift and was crushed under the lift's rollover cage. He was taken by helicopter to the area trauma center where he was admitted with injuries to his hip and leg. Despite treatment, he suffered complications related to his injury and his condition deteriorated. The victim died at the hospital on September 9, 2002, nine days after the incident. NJ FACE investigators recommend following these safety guidelines to prevent further incidents: 1. Employers should ensure that employees are fully trained and certified as per OSHA regulations before operating a forklift truck. 2. Operators should always wear a seatbelt while running a forklift or other industrial truck. 3. Employers should provide safety curbs and railings around the perimeter of outdoor loading docks. 4. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers.
Keywords
Accident-analysis; Accident-potential; Accident-prevention; Accidents; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-education; Safety-equipment; Safety-practices; Safety-measures; Traumatic-injuries; Region-2; Work-practices; Work-analysis; Work-operations; Safety-belts
Document Type
Field Studies; Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
NTIS Accession No.
PB2010-112437
Identifying No.
FACE-02NJ081; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-207088; Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-OH-008345
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Performing Organization
New Jersey Department of Health
