Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1479501.015 - Southeastern Marine Power Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Tampa Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:45 p.m. on June 9, 2020, an employee working as a maintenance technician for boat dealer was assisting Coworker #1 (HVAC contractor). Coworker #1 was hired by Coworker #2 (company owner) to perform work on the air-conditioning (AC) unit located on the roof. The employee used the company owned forklift to bring up tools, materials and equipment for Coworker #1. The employee also lowered Coworker #1's supplies and materials using a wooden pallet to bring materials down from the roof. Coworker #1 had placed a canister of Freon on the pallet and repositioned it causing the canister to get knocked over. As the employee started to lower the pallet the Freon canister started to roll off the pallet. According to the employee, he thought he had put the forklift in neutral, but instead it may have been sitting too far forward or was still in drive. The employee jumped out of the forklift and caught the Freon canister. A wheel on the still moving forklift struck the employee travelling up his right leg at the ankle. The forklift then hit the ladder that Coworker #1 was standing on. Coworker #1 was able to get on the forklift and then on top of the pallet. The forklift was moving slowly and ran over the employee's leg and, according to the video of the incident, the employee's leg stopped the forklift. The employee sustained ligament damage, a broken bone on the outside of his leg and a fracture to the inside of his leg, requiring hospitalization.

Keywords: Broken Bone, Crushed, Falling Object, Forklift, Fracture, Freon, HVAC, Industrial Truck, Leg, Lost Control, Maintenance, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Motor Vehicle, PIV, Pallet, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Repair, Run Over, Struck By, Tendon