Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316640481 - State Of Oregon-Oha And Directors Office Of Dhs

Inspection Information - Office: Or-E-Salem 1054100

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on June 26, 2013, Employee #1 was assisting a forklift operator with the movement of a stack of steel sheets. The sheets had been left on the floor of a warehouse. The forklift operator placed the forks of the forklift truck beneath the load. Employee #1 took a 3 in. thick by 3 in. wide by 4 ft long piece of lumber and placed it under one end of the suspended load. The forklift operator then raised the load to an approximately 7 in. height above where it was before. He was about to move the load with a sideshift, which is a mechanism within a forklift truck, controlled by the driver that allows the load carried to be moved to the left and the right. However, he hit the lowering lever. The approximate 3,000 lb load dropped on Employee #1's right hand and crushed it. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where he underwent treatment and was then hospitalized. Employee #2 was not injured in the incident.

Keywords: SUSPENDED LOAD, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, STRUCK BY, FALLING OBJECT, HAND