Inspection Detail

Inspection: 122121353 - Newton Floorcraft, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Boston North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on May 7, 1998, Employee #1, a manager at Newton Floorcraft in Newton, MA, was moving a large green roll of carpet padding. He was using a forklift fitted with a boom attachment, raised to a height of 7 to 8 ft and specially designed for insertion into rollers of carpet or padding. Noticing that the roll of padding, which was lying on the floor immediately in front of the forklift, was not lined up properly, Employee #1 applied the emergency brake, dismounted the forklift, and attempted to straighten the roll so that the boom pole and padding roll were in alignment. Suddenly, the boom attachment separated from the mast of the forklift and struck Employee #1 in the back, knocking him to the floor before coming to rest on the leading edge of the roll of padding. He lost consciousness and was found lying on the floor by a coworker at approximately 7:10 a.m. He shook Employee #1, who then regained consciousness. Emergency Services transported him to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he was treated for back injuries and released that same day.

Keywords: UNCONSCIOUSNESS, IND TRK OPERATOR, HOISTING MECHANISM, UNSECURED, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, BACK, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, MECH MAT HANDLING, STRUCK BY, CONTUSION