Inspection Detail

Inspection: 112128848 - R R Donnelley & Sons Company

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:30 p.m. on March 30, 1995, Employee #1 was moving a slight load from one location to another with a forklift in the Torrance printing plant of R.R. Donnelley. He lost control while simultaneously turning and backing when he was trying to avoid hitting a guardrail. His leg was broken and surgery was required to mend the compound fracture. The forklift had passed a service inspection and witnesses did not recall difficulties with lighting, cleanliness, or water on the warehouse floor. Employee #1, who had normal vision and abilities, had been trained on and drove a different type of forklift. Because of his lack of formal training on this lift, he did not have confidence in his ability to control the lift. The employer's training program did not match specific equipment to specific operators and confusion existed as to whom should be assigned to which forklifts. Safety violations include lack of effective training and failure to post forklift operating rules in the warehouse.

Keywords: FRACTURE, IND TRK OPERATOR, WAREHOUSE, WORK RULES, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, INEXPERIENCE, SHARP TURN, LOST CONTROL, UNTRAINED, BACKING UP