Inspection Detail

Inspection: 305115917 - Roehl Transportation, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Toledo Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:06 a.m. on November 19, 2002, a lift truck operator was removing a load of automotive frames from a trailer. The load shifted and fell, striking Employee #1 and killing him. Employee #1 moved to the right side of the load to prevent the load from snagging the trailer canvas. The vision of the lift truck operator was obscured by the load configuration and he did not see Employee #1. The automotive frames were bundled by banding and stacked in tiers of two, measuring 19 feet in length and 11 feet, 4 inches in height. The lift truck operator's attention was focused on maneuvering the lift truck in a confined area and to avoid striking an object to the rear of the lift truck. The lift truck forks were 42 inches apart and the load was approached at an angle in order to remove the bundle of frames from the trailer. The load became unbalanced as the lift truck operator was maneuvering the truck either from contact with the trailer canvas or from shifting of the load center. The forklift operator had not been trained specifically on load stability and the stability triangle.

Keywords: OBSTRUCTED VIEW, LOAD SHIFT, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, FALL, STRUCK BY, TRAILER, UNTRAINED