Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126200518 - Williams Sonoma Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

On December 5, 2013, an employee was working for Cornerstone Staffing Solutions, Inc. He was assigned to work as a merchandise processor at Williams Sonoma, Inc. Williams Sonoma, Inc. sold household items. The site, in City of Industry, CA, was a distribution center for the company. After a pre-shift meeting, the employee was driving a forklift to a battery changing area in the northeast corner of a warehouse to replace the battery on the forklift. The employee was operating a model number EASI R45TT-MB Raymond reach truck with serial number EZ-C-04-29896 and site unit number 4160. He had performed a pre-shift inspection on the forklift at 4:30 a.m., and it was in working condition. He turned the forklift so that he could get personal protective equipment mounted on the wall of the battery changing area. As he was getting close to the wall, he tried to stop the forklift, but it did not respond to his inputs. The forklift collided with the emergency eyewash and shower unit on the wall. The employee's left foot was caught between the wall and the forklift. The emergency eyewash and shower unit broke, and water splashed over the forklift. The employee was taken to UCI Medical Center by paramedics. He was hospitalized for three days for a crushing injury to his left foot with fracture dislocation. The fourth and fifth toes on his left foot were amputated on a later date. The incident was caused because the employee had not stopped the forklift in time. The employer reported the incident to the DOSH West Covina district office that same day.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, IND TRK OPERATOR, WAREHOUSE, BATTERY CHARGER, STRUCK AGAINST, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, TOE, LOST CONTROL, FOOT