Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311424014 - Ford Motor Co.

Inspection Information - Office: Cleveland Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:55 a.m. on August 29, 2007, Employee #1 was working on the head line replacing a hydraulic actuating cylinder. He informed the engineering supervisor that the job was not finished and briefed him on what was left to do. He then proceeded south-southeast, to the men's locker room. The block machine line has several banks of electrical panels and other associated equipment permanently mounted immediately adjacent to the pedestrian walk way on the north side of the aisle. The aisle way travels east to west with the material handling aisle immediately adjacent to, and on the south side of, the pedestrian walk way. While approaching the pedestrian walkway from the north side Employee #1 was hidden from view of the aisle way by electrical panel Number 61-176-00-G. A coworker was driving an unloaded powered industrial truck, vehicle Number 127, west in the material handling aisle way. Employee #1 was attempting to walk across the aisle way in a southwest direction to maintain a more straight line to the men's locker room. He was among the equipment and did not see the forklift heading west down the aisle. The forklift operator did not see Employee #1 as he emerged from among the equipment. As Employee #1 stepped forward with his left foot, it was struck by the front right tire of the forklift. He was knocked to the ground and the forklift operator stopped immediately. Employee #1 had crushing injuries and a large gash on his left foot and was hospitalized. The following day Employee #1 had the toes of his left foot medically amputated and several days following that, due to complications, had his left foot amputated below his knee. Employee #1 continued to recover in the hospital until his death September 17, 2007. An autopsy was performed and his death was the result of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm with hemoperitoneum due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and another condition of recent crush injury of left foot.

Keywords: AMPUTATED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, LACERATION, STRUCK BY, RUN OVER, FOOT, LEG