Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1753657.015 - Mitchell Industrial Tire Co., Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Worth Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:00 p.m. on June 6, 2024, an employee working as a laborer for a tire warehouse was operating a forklift (PIV). The employee was using the PIV to access palletized solid-core forklift tires on the third tier of a 4-tier rack storage system. While lifting the pallet from the third tier of the rack, the PIV's load backrest appears to have come into contact with the front horizontal beam of the fourth tier of the rack. This caused the front horizontal beam to disconnect from the rack system's upright frame. Two pallets stored on the fourth tier approximately 16 feet above the floor fell. Each pallet contained ten solid-core forklift tires and weighed approximately 1,600 pounds. Pallet 1 contained tires weighing approximately 137 pounds each and pallet 2 contained tires weighing approximately 156 pounds each. For an undetermined reason, the employee exited the forklift prior to the pallets falling and was struck by multiple solid-core forklift tires. The employee died from blunt force trauma to his head and neck. The autopsy report with the final determination of his injuries is pending.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Driver, Equipment Operator, Falling Object, Forklift, Head, Industrial Truck, Inexperience, Laborer, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Neck, Pallet, Palletized Cargo, Powered Industrial Vehicle, Storage Rack, Struck Against, Struck By, Tire, Training, Unsafe Position, Unstable Load, Warehouse, Warehouse Aisle