Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1537459.015 - Sanders Wood Products, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Arizona Division Of Occupational Safety And Health (Adosh)

Investigation Summary

At 12:04 p.m. on Friday, June 18, 2021, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured miscellaneous wood products. The firm manufactured wooden survey stakes and pallets. The company had been in business for 30 years and had three employees, including the owner. The company had a single building, which was approximately 2,000 square feet (186 square meters), and outside storage areas surrounding the building. Employees worked a standard daytime shift from Monday through Friday. The employee was operating a World-Lift model number WFD60-16440W forklift with serial number 7082101. The incident occurred north of a shop area where employees usually used the forklift. The employee often did clean-up jobs on Friday, and the owner thought that the employee was cleaning up a pile of broken pallets that were located across the road from where the incident occurred. As the employee was backing up the forklift, it had gone over a road embankment. The employee, operating the forklift, had suffered crush injuries to his head. The injuries had been caused by the forklift's roll-over protective structure (ROPS). The employee was killed. There were no witnesses to the incident. A safety inspector arrived at the site later that day. Information about the incident and the employee were given to the safety inspector by the firm's owner and a coworker. The coworker reported that the employee was not in the habit of wearing a seat belt. The coworker felt that the employee had not received adequate training. The safety inspector noted that the forklift had cracked hydraulic lines.

Keywords: Backing Up, Crushed, Embankment, Forklift, Head, Inadequate Maint, Powered Industrial Vehicle, ROPS, Roll-Over, Seat Belt, Training