Accident: 801217 - Killed When Struck And Dragged By Forklift Truck

Employee #1 asked another crew leader about the location of a jack and, after finishing the conversation, began to walk back across an aisleway. A coworker driving an Ottawa yard truck pulling a 12 ft wide load struck him from behind. Employee #1 was dragged between 60 and 70 ft by the strap on his coveralls, which caught on the tie rod of the truck. He died instantly of a broken neck.

inattention, struck by, motor vehicle, caught by, clothing, neck, fracture, industrial truck, noise, dragged

Accident: 170900575 - Fingers Injured When Caught In Automatic Gate

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on July 15, 1997, Employee #1 was working alone on the opening and closing mechanism for an automatic gate at his employer's parking area. No cars were entering or leaving the parking area at the time of the accident. He was putting the cover back on the mechanism when it suddenly activated. Employee #1's left hand, which was on the cover, was dragged against a post and became trapped between the post and the cover. He sustained acute lacerations to his fourth and fifth fingers and was transported to the hospital, where his little finger was surgically amputated.

caught between, hand, laceration, finger, amputated, unsecured, dragged, work rules, automatic machine

Accident: 200000255 - Killed In Fall Down Elevator Shaft

Employee #1 was conducting demolition work in and around an elevator hoistway. He was using an oxy-acetylene torch to cut steel car rails, counterweight rails, pipes, and wire rope, and was tied-off to a rail support bracket using a full body harness and double lanyard with shock absorber. The hoistway access on the fifth floor of the ten-story elevator was being prepared for a building implosion. The walls of the hoistway, door, and door frame at the fifth floor had been demolished just before the cutting task, and all of the debris had been pushed into the hoistway. The elevator was not being used, but no precautions had been taken to ensure the elevator equipment did not fall during the demolition work. The elevator car was at the first-floor level. The counterweight was at the top of the hoistway, and the hoist ropes were still attached in the usable configuration. The hoist ropes parted while Employee #1 was working on a ledge at the back of the hoistway. The counterweight free-fell down the rails and struck him or his fall-arrest equipment. Employee #1 was dragged or fell the remaining five stories to the bottom of the hoistway. He was killed.

construction, elevator shaft, fall, struck by, work rules, elevator, demolition, counterbalance, dragged, falling object

Accident: 812172 - Killed When Crushed By Dozer Blade

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on November 29, 1996, Employee #1 was operating a Komatsu D65A to clear a trail for the construction of a snowmobile trail. The bulldozer stalled, and the employee attempted to restart it by jumping the starter/solenoid, leaving the bulldozer in third reverse gear and full throttle. He was dislodged from his position on the right track, becoming caught between the back of the bulldozer blade and the front of the engine compartment. He was dragged as the bulldozer moved and his head was crushed by the blade, killing him.

construction, dozer blade, run over, head, bulldozer, caught between, crushed, work rules, vehicle in gear, dragged

Accident: 789263 - Injured When Pinned Between Loader And Work Table

At approximately 12:15 a.m. on October 17, 1996, Employee #1, a numerical control machinist at P&A Metal Fab, Inc., a manufacturing plant in Clackamas, OR, was working on an automated metal cutting laser machine. After inputting program information into one of the control panels, he inadvertently positioned himself within the machine's work envelope. When the loader/unloader began its return trip to the material rack, a clamp bracket on the loader caught on the employee's shirt and dragged him across the work table, pinning him between the loader and the work table. Within seconds, a coworker ran from his work station and activated the emergency STOP button. Employee #1 suffered a fractured ankle and lacerations to his arms, chest, and face, and was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

automatic machine, loader, unguarded, dragged, caught by, work rules, clothing, pinned, inattention

Accident: 200610012 - Killed When Struck By Forklift

Employee #1 was close to a Hyster forklift that was moving a 58 3/4 in. high by 66 in. long by 54 in wide wire basket pallet loaded with scrap metal and topped by a wooden pallet. The load was raised 21 in. above ground level in the front and 17.5 in. in the rear. The operator made a blind left turn without sounding his horn, and struck Employee #1 with the wire basket pallet. He was knocked to the ground, went under the load and forks, and was pushed approximately 3 to 6 ft by the bottom of the forklift carriage. Employee #1 sustained fractured ribs and a severely lacerated liver. He was transported to the hospital, where he died between one-half and two hours later. The operator could not see properly in the direction of travel with the forklift load raised, and he was traveling forward instead of with the load trailing. In addition, the load and load engaging means were not adjusted close to the ground surface.

industrial truck, horn, obstructed view, ind trk operator, struck by, dragged, mech mat handling, laceration, liver, work rules