Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1140650.015 - Telfair Forest Products, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Savannah Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:50 p.m. on April 13, 2016, an employee was assigned the task of repairing a commercial lawn mower on a cloudy and humid day, outside, temp was about 67 degrees F. The facility was a sawmill complex of 50+ acres. At the time of the incident, he was working alone, soon to be joined by a co-worker, part of a 2-person maintenance team working day shift, 7 am -- 7 pm. The employee left his assigned jobsite before starting, and began walking into a tall pellet mill, partially obstructed by a 10-12 ft. high pile of woodchips, his destination unknown. He entered the pathway of a Caterpillar 950K front-end loader and he was run over by the large industrial vehicle. He was not wearing hi-visibility clothing, and the wheel loader top lights were not on as it traveled forward carrying a load of wood shavings in its bucket, bottom positioned about 4 ft. from ground. The employee sustained internal crushing injuries causing near-immediate death.

Keywords: Crushing, Material Handling, Motor Vehicle, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Run Over, Struck By