Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1241493.015 - Goodwill Industries Of The Chesapeake, Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on June 20, 2017, an employee was pulling boxes to put into the Walking Floor Dump Trailer while operating a Toyota Model 8FGU25 Lift Truck. Based on a witness interview, the employee pulled a box, made a turn with the forks in the air, and at this point, the forklift tipped over. The eye witness ran to the forklift and called for another forklift operator to help so that they could lift the forklift off of the employee since the forklift started smoking. Once the forklift was lifted, nearby employees helped drag the injured employee away. At this point, 911 was called, and the employees sprayed the forklift with fire extinguishers. The forklift was equipped with a Rightline Model RGG35C-07A1-A Rotating Gaylord Clamp which weighed 1,730 pounds. The employee was lifting the box to the top of the trailer which was 13 feet from the ground. The mast of the forklift at the time of the investigation was measured to be at 9 feet 7 inches. Based on employee interviews, it was determined the box weighed 300 pounds at the most. The Toyota forklifts were brought into the facility approximately 7 months prior to the date of the incident, but none of the forklift operators received refresher training on the new characteristics of the truck including, but not limited to, fork and attachment adaptation, operation, and use limitations; vehicle capacity; and vehicle stability. The Gaylord Clamps were attached to the forklift by Toyota, but the capacity, operation, and maintenance plates were not changed. Although the employee was not wearing a seatbelt when he was discovered, it could not be determined if the employee was not wearing a seatbelt while operating the forklift, or took the seatbelt off when he saw it was tipping and tried to jump out. The employee was fatally crushed.

Keywords: Crushing, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Roll-Over