Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: CRUSHING

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to the hazard of being caught in a pinch point between the chassis of Electric Stand-Up Reach Fork Trucks and the horizontal shelves of storage racks which can enter the operator's compartment while traveling in reverse: a) On or about 7/26/04, in the Warehouse, location S9A12: Employee operating Raymond Electric Stand-Up Reach Fork Truck, Model 21i.R4OTT, Serial no. 021D.90.05236, was traveling in reverse, and struck a storage rack. The employee was crushed between the chassis of the truck and the horizontal shelf of a rack which had entered the operator's compartment. b) On or about 7/26/04, in various areas of the Warehouse: Employees operating Raymond Electric Stand-Up Reach Fork Trucks, Serial numbers 031lD775385, 208017988, 208017539, EZ-A-94-01066, and EZ-A-98-09987 while traveling in reverse, were exposed to the potential hazard of being crushed between the chassis of the truck and the horizontal shelves of racks which could enter the operator's compartment should the forklift strike a storage rack. Among others, a feasable method to eliminate or materially reduce this hazard is to equip the Fork Truck with vertical rear posts which are available as an option on newly purchased trucks or may be purchased as an "aftermarket kit" from the manufacturer. A second method would be to lower the height of the horizontal shelves, such that, if an operator backed into a rack, the shelf would contact the frame of the forklift and not enter the operator's compartment. NO ABATEMENT DOCUMENTATION REQUIREDATION