Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307455287 - Stater Brothers

Inspection Information - Office: San Bernardino District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:15 on November 18, 2004, an employee was working as an order selector for the employer. Order Selectors walked the aisles with Clark PE4000 electric pallet jacks. The items to be selected were transmitted to the Order Selectors via headsets. The employee was making a selection at the North end of aisle 6. The forklift operator was at the North end of aisle 7. He was operating a Clark stand up Type E, Model Number 325, Serial Number 43559605 forklift. The highest shelves in the warehouse are 26 ft. The forklift operator was going to pick up a pallet on the top shelf. He put the forks in the pallet and backed out sideways with the pallet. During the turning movement, the forklift operator bumped another pallet on aisle 6. The pallet fell off of the shelf and struck the employee. The forklift operator did not feel the other pallet when he picked the pallet on aisle 7. The employee was not aware of the forklift operator working on the backside and could not hear the forklift because of the headset. The employee was struck on his head and shoulder by a falling pallet. He sustained serious injuries, resulting in hospitalization over 24 hours.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, SHOULDER, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT