Abstract: At 4:55 p.m. on July 14, 2023, an employee had just come on shift and was driving his forklift down the aisle in the dry storage, when he noticed a shelf on the steel storage rack with the horizontal load bearing cross beam dislodged. The employee stopped his forklift and dismounted to look and see if he could get the pallet off. He turned around to get his phone off of the forklift to take a picture, when the shelf collapsed, and he was struck and pinned against the side of his forklift by the pallet of prepackaged, individual servings of green beans (56 boxes at 18 pounds per box). The pallet weighed in excess of 1,000 pounds. The employee suffered a fractured ankle, lacerations to the knee and face, and multiple fractures throughout his face. The employee was killed.

Abstract: At 10:15 a.m. on September 22, 2022, an employee was operating a BBQ grill next to a staircase in font of the building while coworkers were restacking slabs of synthetic marble nearby when the stack suddenly shifted and the slab rack collapsed. The slabs struck the staircase causing the employee to fall and hit her head against the metal staircase. The employee died due to a skull fracture and loss of blood.

Abstract: At 5:45 a.m. on December 2, 2021, an employee was pulling an order of ice cream from a shelf that was 16 feet off the ground of an industrial freezer when the support beam he stepped on gave way and he fell to the lower level. The employee was hospitalized to treat a left shoulder fracture.

Abstract: At 9:45 p.m. on December 12, 2020, Employee #1 was taking inventory of palletized boxes at the metal storage racks near Freezer #1. A Turret Truck was being operated in Freezer #1. The storage racks were not equipped with impact protection at the end of the aisles adjacent to the racking. The Turret Truck struck the upright of the racking, causing the racking to collapse and the pallets and boxes to fall, crushing Employee #1 and killing him. Employee #2 was also injured due to the collapse and was hospitalized.

Abstract: At 9:20 a.m. on April 27, 20202, an employee and a coworker were repairing a commercial storage rack containing 14,000 pounds of spices. They used a jack system (Damotech Easy Lift C113 ) to jack the storage rack up to cut and remove the damaged part. The jack system, with a 30,000 pound capacity, slipped out causing the rack to collapse, injuring the employee. The jack slipped because a come-along strap was not used to secure the jack and prevent slipping as specified in the operations manual. The employee sustained multiple contusions, a burst/crushed L3 requiring fusion with rods and screws, and fractured left middle fingertip. He was hospitalized.

Abstract: At 12:00 noon on February 10, 2020, an employee was stacking PVC pipes onto a storage rack when the rack cracked and broke. The employee was struck by falling pipes and metal scrap materials. The employee suffered contusions and abrasions on his leg and was treated without hospitalization.

Abstract: At 11:55 a.m. on March 26, 2018, Employee #1 was using a Raymond stand-Up forklift to remove material from a cantilever rack storage system. During work, Employee #1 inadvertently backed into another racking system, causing it to collapse and fall onto Employee #1. Employee #1 suffered blunt force trauma to his abdomen and chest, and was killed.

Abstract: At 12:45 p.m. on March 7, 2018, Employee #1, foreman for a fencing company's storage yard, was transferring fencing material from the 6.5-foot high forks of a forklift onto a storage rack. The material consisted of galvanized pipes measuring approximately 21 feet long. Employee #1 subsequently estimated he had placed pipes weighing approximately 660 pounds onto the storage rack. As he rolled another pipe onto the rack, the rack collapsed, and all the pipes previously placed on the rack fell, with some landing on Employee #1's right leg. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was transported to the hospital. He was admitted and treated for a fractured right tibia that required surgery.

Abstract: At 3:45 p.m. on March 29, 2016 an employee was pulling orders in warehouse when the storage racks in the warehouse collapsed, striking the employee with cases of frozen food products. The employee sustained blunt force trauma to head and neck due to the cases of frozen food products falling and striking the employee. The employee was killed.

Abstract: On July 16, 2013, Employee #1 was sorting product on a seven tier high shelving that was 60 ft in length. The shelving was located on the back wall of the store. While she was sorting the product, the shelving suddenly tipped over and fell on her, causing her to sustain strains and contusions. Emergency medical personnel were summoned. They arrived and transported Employee #1 by ambulance to a medical center, where she was treated and then released.

Abstract: At about 8:30 a.m. on October 21, 2008, Employee #1 of CMH Manufacturing West, Inc. was taking his break. He sat down on a storage rack holding mirrors and the rack collapsed after the legs of the rack failed.

Abstract: On February 27, 2007, Employee #1 was working as a welder at a shop where structural metal products were fabricated. At the time of the accident, he was loading steel tubing and bars onto a four-level storage rack in the facility's production area. Employee #1's supervisor had assigned him to assist two other employees with loading various sized steel tubes and bars onto the storage rack. After loading for a while, one of the employees was told to go to the field, and a little while later the other employee was told by the supervisor to do something else, leaving Employee #1 to finish loading the steel tubes and bars by himself. He had only two more pieces to load and was placing one of them onto the second level of the storage rack, when the pieces began to fall off the rack. He was knocked to the floor, with some of the steel tubes and bars landing on his legs, leaving him unable to move. Other employees ran over to move the steel tubes and bars off his legs and pull him away. The storage rack had bent and collapsed, allowing the steel tubes to fall off. Employee #1's left ankle was fractured. He was taken by paramedics to Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley, CA, where he had surgery. Two plates and seventeen pins were installed in his ankle. He was hospitalized for six days.

Abstract: At approximately 2:47 p.m. on November 1, 2006, a salesperson walked into the stockroom at Filenes Basement, a discount-clothing store. She walked down a congested aisle, to an area where shoes were stored. She was in the southeast area of the stockroom when the steel pipe storage rack partially collapsed. When the rack system collapsed, various items fell and trapped the employee, pinning her right shoulder. Other coworkers heard the collapse and came to the employee's aid. The Fire Department was called and the trapped employee was freed within 20 minutes. She was taken to Greater Baltimore Medical Center, where she was hospitalized. She suffered bruises, sprains, and strains to her right arm, shoulder, and back. The storage rack system was overloaded with clothing, and it did not have enough anchorage points to support the load.

Abstract: Employee #1 was retrieving a truck tire off the top rack of the tire storage racks, when the horizontal beam of the rack the tire was sitting on came loose. Employee #1 lost his balance and fell sideways off the 6-ft stair ladder to the floor. Employee #1 was taken to the hospital and treated for a sprained right ankle.

Abstract: On July 19, 2006, Employees #1 and #2 were working at a general merchandise store, stocking shelves and performing janitorial duties such as cleaning the floor and the lower portions of shelves. Suddenly, an 80-foot section of shelving along with food products came crashing down, causing the two workers to receive head and neck injuries. Both workers sustained bruises, contusions, and abrasions to several parts of their bodies. They were treated at the scene by emergency medical personnel, transported to a hospital, and released after six hours. They were not hospitalized, but both employees underwent physical therapy.

Abstract: On April 10, 2006, Employee #1 was killed, when he was struck by a storage rack that collapsed at the Volunteer Wire Rope and Supply Company warehouse.

Abstract: On March 14, 2006, Employee #1 was working in the warehouse of a fabric mill. A section of steel racks approximately 90 feet long collapsed, causing a 1,500-pound roll of cloth to strike Employee #1, crushing him in his head and upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Abstract: On November 15, 2005, Employees #1 through #6 were loading a Unistrut rack with copper pipe of varying sizes. The rack collapsed Employee #1, who was then hospitalized with fractures. Employees #2 trough #6 sustained various injuries during the rescue of Employee #1. The rack had been improperly constructed in three ways: (1) single through-bolts were used to assemble some of the horizontal and vertical members within the rack, instead of "T" or gusset connections, as specified by the rack component manufacturer; using the single bolts allowed the connections to rotate around the bolt, (2) the horizontal braces were connected with single bolts, instead of "T" or gusset connections, as specified by the rack component manufacturer; using the single bolts allowed the connections to rotate around the bolt, and (3) diagonal braces were not used to stabilize the frames.

Abstract: Employee #1 was loading and unloading pallets of merchandise onto a storage rack when the loaded racks on the opposite side of the aisle collapsed. Employee #1 was caught in the racks and crushed by the material stored on the racks. Employee #1 was killed.

Abstract: On July 26, 2002, Employee #1, a warehouseman who was obese (weighing approximately 350 pounds), was elevated on an order picker. As he placed his right foot on a support beam of a metal storage rack structure, the beam failed, and he fell 12 ft 9 in. to grade. Employee #1 was hospitalized for surgical repair of the separation of his right acromioclavicular joint. The investigation determined that employee was not provided personal fall restraint or personal fall arrest protection equipment. Examination of the metal rack system determined that the retaining pin holes on one of the vertical members had damage at the 12 ft 9 in. and 12 ft 7 in. elevations. The rack system was inspected by the manufacturer, who determined that the damage was the result of the support beam being caught by forks and pulled outward. This damage and the live load of Employee #1 on the beam caused the left post retaining pins to pop out and the beam to fall.