Inspection Detail

Inspection: 301109542 - C.F. Brannen And Sons, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Columbia Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was driving an unloaded all-terrain forklift approximately 10 mph on a paved road. Three coworkers were following the forklift in a van. The left front and rear wheels of the forklift struck a patched sinkhole in the road. The sinkhole had a patch of darker asphalt in the middle. Although the patched sinkhole did not appear to be deep, it did create a rough, uneven surface. After hitting the sinkhole Employee #1 lost control of the forklift and it began fishtailing and bouncing up and down on the road. The forklift veered to the left side of the road and the left wheels went off the road. Employee #1 managed to get the forklift back on the left edge of the road for approximately another 8 to 10 ft before the forklift overturned onto its left side. The forklift had traveled a total of approximately 134 ft after it struck the sinkhole. Employee #1 either jumped or was thrown from the seat and landed in the grass on the left side of the road. The top of the roll over protection struck Employee #1 in the chest pinning him to the ground. Employee #1 was killed. Employee #1 had been seen earlier in the day wearing the seatbelt while operating the forklift. It was not known whether Employee #1 had been wearing the seatbelt and removed it to jump off the forklift or if he had not been wearing the seatbelt when the forklift struck the sinkhole. Employee #1 was the crew leader and all three of his coworkers said that he was very concerned about safety and insisted that they wear fall protection, hard hats, seatbelts, etc. The forklift was an all-terrain forklift that had large tractor-like tires on the front and small tires on the rear. The steering for the forklift was in the rear. Upon examining the forklift after the accident, it was apparent that the left rear stabilizer bar had broken at the connection point to the axle. The break appeared to be recent although it could not be determined when the break occurred.

Keywords: CHEST, FRACTURE, CONSTRUCTION, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LOST CONTROL, OVERTURN