Inspection Detail

Inspection: 108422650 - Mt. Airy Cold Storage

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

On April 26, 1989, Employee #1 was using an electric forklift to load a trailer with pallets of frozen french fries. The employer receives frozen food in a railroad warehouse and, in turn, loads it for shipment via tractor trailer. There are nine dock doors used for trailers. The forklift operators are required to chock a trailer, load it, and turn a release form in to the control office. A yard man, who works solely outside moving and controlling trailer activity, then takes the form and moves the trailer to a parking apron for pickup. On the day of the accident, the yard man received a form for trailer #645. He proceeded to hook his tractor to what he believed was the #645, but which was actually #545 parked next to it. As the yard man began pulling away from the dock, he heard a noise at the rear of the trailer. Unbeknownst to him, Employee #1 was loading #545 and, when the trailer moved, the forklift fell to the ground. The employee also fell, sustaining bruises and abrasions to his back and right elbow. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released, returning to work the next day. No apparent violations of OSHA standards were found. In an effort to prevent a reoccurrence of the accident due to human error, the employer is purchasing and installing computer operated docklocks for use of the trailers.

Keywords: WORK RULES, BACK, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, ABRASION, FALL, STRUCK BY, ELBOW, TRAILER, CONTUSION, INATTENTION