OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #221489958
THE NORWALK GLASS CO., INC
NORWALK, CT—
Event description
Employee is killed when chest is crushed/pinned by forklift
Investigation abstract
At 10:11 a.m. on July 1, 2022, an employee was observed using the forklift to forward and moved the forks up and down. The worker again stepped up behind the mast and was using both hands to push the pallet forward, when one of his feet inadvertently activated the middle lever which moved the boom backwards, pinning his chest between the back of the boom and the front of the forklift roof. The worker immediately used his foot to try and hit the lever in an attempt to move the mast forward, however was only successful in dropping the forks. The worker then began to lose consciousness and remained pinned for approximately 16 minutes before another worker noticed he was pinned and rushed to rescue him. The employee was killed. lift a large wooden pallet into a roll-off dumpster. The forks were raised, the forklift driven forward, and the fork angle lowered to get the pallet to slide off the forks into the dumpster. After this did not work, the driver got out, reached up, and attempted to push the pallet off the forks, which caused the pallet to move a few inches but remain on the forks. Next the worker stepped up onto the flat surface between the mast and the control panel and reached forward from behind the mast in an attempt to knock the pallet forward off the forks. He then returned to the forklift seat and elevated the forks and tilted the mast
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 99 M
- Event type
- 2
- Occupation code
- 589
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