Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126162650 - Ralphs Grocery Co

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on March 20, 1997, Employee #1, a forklift operator, was driving a three-wheel Crown forklift, model 40RCTT, backward in a warehouse building, with a load on the forks. He could not approximate the speed at which he was driving, but later stated that his foot was "floored on the pedal." Employee #1 noticed the machine and steering wheel trembling, and then the forklift started to veer to the left. He lost control of the vehicle and it ran into the guardrails aisle #73. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis, a fractured left knee, and muscle damage to his left leg. The employer had a regular documented forklift maintenance program, and this specific vehicle had just gone through a 300-hour preventive maintenance check. An inspection of the equipment just after the accident did not uncover any defects in the forklift. The employer posted and enforced forklift operating rules, and it had a program of disciplinary action regarding any safety infractions. When Employee #1 checked out the forklift at the start of his shift, he did not notice anything wrong with it, nor were there any tags or maintenance notices attached to it. It was concluded that the forklift had probably overbalanced because it was traveling at maximum speed and its forks were carrying a full load.

Keywords: FRACTURE, IND TRK OPERATOR, SPEEDING, STRUCK AGAINST, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, PELVIS, MECH MAT HANDLING, LOST CONTROL, BACKING UP