Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1539923.015 - Fedex Supply Chain, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fairview Heights Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:15 p.m. on June 14, 2021, an employee working as a forklift (PIV) operator for an express delivery service was operating a Crown Forklift loading cargo onto a semi trailer. The trailer was positioned at Dock Door #316. He was working with a crew of three coworkers using two dock doors to the left of the employee's position. The building is a climate controlled single story warehouse building. The PIVs used in the building are stand-up type Crown Forklifts with an attachment placed on the front of the forklift to allow unloading of non-palleted boxes. The floors were clean and dry. The employer had established a working space of approximately 177 inches (in width ) between the dock door staging locations. The employee exited with his PIV to adjust a load when a coworker operating a Crown Model RC 5545-40 (serial number 1A579270) struck him near the loading dock area of Door #316. The coworker had been unloading at Dock Door #315. The coworker had not been looking in the direction of travel due to them talking to another coworker that was operating a PIV loading at Dock Door #314. The employer had a policy that required operators to look in the direction that they were traveling. The crew stated that they were trained on this policy, and the company would regularly address the issue when discovered. The employee, who was pinned against his PIV, was hospitalized to treat broken and dislocated legs.

Keywords: Attachment, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Broken Bone, Communication, Delivery Work, Dislocated, Distracted, Dock, Dock Worker, Equipment Operator, Forklift, Fracture, Industrial Truck, Leg, Loading, Loading Dock, Material Handling, Motor Vehicle, PIV, Pinned, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Stand-Up Forklift, Struck By, Trailer, Trailer Truck, Unsafe Position