Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314872888 - Lms Intellibound, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Raleigh

Investigation Summary

On December 2, 2010, Employee #1 was operating a stand-up type reach-rider high-lift truck in reverse when he struck an empty wooden pallet positioned on the forks of an unmanned reach-rider truck. He contacted the pallet with his upper chest and the force lifted him off the operator deck, crushing and killing him against the vertical boom of the lift. Based on the preliminary investigation, he had likely been operating both forklifts in the performance of his daily job. His primary job was to break product pallets down to specific numbers of boxes per pallet. To do this quickly, and with the least physical effort, the operator places a pallet load of product on the floor. He then positions another forklift on the opposite side of the product stack with an empty pallet level with the product to be transferred. The operator then returns to the original forklift and pushes the required amount of product off the original pallet onto the empty pallet held on the unmanned forklift. The transferred product is then ready for delivery to various storage locations in the facility. The empty pallet had been elevated to approximately 60-inches above the floor and left in that position for unknown reasons. The employee had completed training on this and other forklift equipment less than 15 days before to the accident.

Keywords: HYDRAULIC LIFT, CAUGHT BETWEEN, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, PALLET