Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1440491.015 - Fedex Freight Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

At 6:00 a.m. on October 25, 2019, an employee working as a Forklift Operator for a freight company was assisting a coworker (also a Forklift Operator) off loading a trailer. The pallets on the rack had shifted forward during transport and needed to be moved to access the bottom pallet so the forks could be inserted to lift the load. The employee removed the bracing on the rack as the coworker removed one pallet from the rack while the employee held the rack in place with his arms and back. The weight became too much to hold and the pallet and remainder of the rack fell on the employee pinning him to the floor beneath the cases of product. The product consisted of a half pallet of cases of shampoo weighing approximately 1,500 pounds. The employee sustained severe fractures to his lower back and lower leg in addition to neck, rib and arm fractures and a punctured lung. The employee was hospitalized for one month and underwent multiple surgeries. He also underwent rehabilitation in the hospital for an additional month. The employee remains paralyzed in the lower extremities.

Keywords: Arm, Back, Bracing, Crushed, Equipment Operator, Falling Object, Forklift, Fracture, Industrial Truck, Leg, Loading Dock, Lung, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Neck, Off Loading, Pallet, Palletized Cargo, Paralysis, Pinned, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Puncture, Puncture Wound, Rehabilitation, Tractor Trailer, Trailer, Unsecured, Unstable Load