Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1469179.015 - Miller Electric Manufacturing Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Appleton Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 10:00 a.m. on March 6, 2020, an employee was working for a manufacturer of welding equipment. He was a welder and cutter. He was in the part of the facility known as Heavy Gauge 214-34. This area was crisscrossed by aisleways, some running north-south, and some running east-west. He was walking south in a north-south aisleway, headed toward his work area. The north-south aisleway was 9 feet, 11 in. (3.02 meters) wide. The employee was walking into the Southeast Intersection of Heavy Gauge 214-34. It was a "T" intersection. The east-west aisleway was 11 feet (3.35 meters) wide. Material baskets had been double-stacked in the east-west aisleway. The large material baskets were 2 feet, 9.5 in. (0.85 meters) tall. The small material baskets were 2 feet, 3 in. (0.69 meters) tall. In addition, pallets extended 4 feet (1.22 meters) into the east-west aisleway. A Yale model ERP040VFN36TE082 electric forklift, with serial number A955N02392M, was heading east along the east-west aisleway into the intersection. It was transporting a dump hopper of scrap metal from a production area to an outside waste receptacle. Its operator was driving toward Dock 22. He needed to open the first garage door into the dock area. The operator looked up at the bank of four different garage door openers to select the correct one. The operator looked away for two to three seconds. By the time he looked down, the employee was directly in front of him. The operator was unable to stop. He hit the brakes, but to no avail. The dump hopper being transported and the forklift struck the employee and knocked him onto the concrete floor. The employee suffered fractures to a femur, his ribs, and his spine, and a laceration of his arm. Elsewhere it was said that he suffered a broken left hip, broken ribs, contusions to an elbow, and possibly cracked vertebrae. In any event, he was hospitalized. The forklift's operator forward vision was impaired by the double-stacked material baskets in the aisleway.

Keywords: Aisle, Broken Bone, Carry, Contusion, Elbow, Fall, Fall On Same Level, Forklift, Fracture, Hip, Horn, Housekeeping, Ind Trk Operator, Mech Mat Handling, Obstructed View, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Rib, Speeding, Struck By, Vertebra, Walking Surface