Abstract: On December 2, 2005, a forklift operator worked for an ice chest and cooler manufacturing facility. She operated a Mitsubishi forklift to get some ice chests that were stored on pallets. The pallets were stacked three high. The forklift operator retrieved the top two pallets from the stack. When she tilted the mast backwards, some of the ice chests shifted and were trapped in the mast area. Consequently, the mast could not be lowered. The production manager, noticed the incident, and went to assist the forklift operator. He climbed onto the cab of the forklift, to push the top pallets forward. As he pushed the material forward, the operator lowered the pallets to approximately 12 in. above the ground. The production manager then began climbing down from the top of the cab. As he climbed down, his right foot inadvertently contacted the mast tilt lever. This caused the mast to tilt toward him, crushing him between the cab and the mast. The operator, who was seated, was able to move the production manager's foot away from the tilt control lever. When she was able to tilt the mast away from him, he climbed down, and then collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. He had lacerated his right iliac artery due to blunt compression. The employer did not have a written industrial truck-training program and did not prohibit its employees from climbing on the forklifts.