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NIOSH Publication No. 2001-109:Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Workers |
2001 |
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Alerts briefly present new information about occupational illnesses, injuries, and deaths. Alerts urgently request assistance in preventing, solving, and controlling newly identified occupational hazards. Workers, employers, and safety and health professionals are asked to take immediate action to reduce risks and implement controls. Contents
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Background | |
Fatality Data | |
Current Standards | |
Case Reports | |
Conclusions | |
Recommendations | |
Acknowledgements | |
References | |
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all Alerts 2001-109.pdf (Full Document)
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Workers: If you operate or work near forklifts, take these steps to protect yourself.
Typical sit-down type forklift
Preventing
Injuries and Deaths of Workers
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WARNING! Workers who operate or work near forklifts may be struck or crushed by the machine or the load being handled. |
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requests assistance in preventing injuries and deaths of workers who operate or work near forklifts. Most fatalities occur when a worker is crushed by a forklift that has overturned or fallen from a loading dock.
NIOSH investigations of forklift-related deaths indicate that many workers and employers (1) may not be aware of the risks of operating or working near forklifts and (2) are not following the procedures set forth in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, consensus standards, or equipment manufacturer's guidelines.
This Alert describes seven incidents resulting in the deaths of seven workers who were either operating or working near forklifts. In each incident, the deaths could have been prevented by using proper safety procedures and equipment and by following the provisions of the OSHA standards.
NIOSH requests that editors of trade journals, safety and health officials, industry associations, unions, and employers in all industries bring the recommendations in this Alert to the attention of all workers who are at risk.
Forklifts, also known as powered industrial trucks, are used in numerous work settings, primarily to move materials. Each year in the United States, nearly 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift-related incidents [BLS 1997, 1998].
Forklift overturns are the leading cause of fatalities involving forklifts; they represent about 25% of all forklift-related deaths.
The following paragraphs summarize information about fatalities involving forklifts. The information is from databases that identify work-related fatalities in the United States.
In the United States, 1,021 workers died from traumatic injuries suffered in forklift-related incidents from 1980 to 1994. The NTOF Surveillance System uses death certificates to identify work-related deaths. These fatalities resulted from the following types of incidents:
Type of % total incident victims Forklift overturns 22 Worker on foot struck by forklift 20 Victim crushed by forklift 16 Fall from forklift 9
The Bureau of Labor Statistics CFOI identified 94 fatal injuries associated with forklifts in 1995 [BLS 1997].
OSHA has developed standards for powered industrial trucks (such
as low- and high-lift trucks and forklift trucks) [29 CFR* 1910.178]
and for forklifts used in the construction industry [29 CFR 1926.600;
1926.602].
OSHA has promulgated the Final Rule for Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training [29 CFR 1910.178(l)], which became effective March 1, 1999. The standard requires operator training and licensing as well as periodic evaluations of operator performance. The standard also addresses specific training requirements for truck operation, loading, seat belts, overhead protective structures, alarms, and maintenance of industrial trucks. Refresher training is required if the operator is observed operating the truck in an unsafe manner, is involved in an accident or near miss, or is assigned a different type of truck.
OSHA requires that industrial trucks be examined before being placed in service. They shall not be placed in service if the examination shows any condition adversely affecting the safety of the vehicle. Such examination shall be made at least daily. When industrial trucks are used around the clock, they shall be examined after each shift. When defects are found, they shall be immediately reported and corrected [29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)].
OSHA requirements for forklift operation are as follows:
The FLSA [29 USC 201 et seq.] (the primary law
governing the employment of youth under age 18) includes work declared
hazardous for youth by the Secretary of Labor. Hazardous Order No.
7, Power-Driven Hoisting Apparatus Occupations, prohibits
workers under age 18 from using forklifts and similar equipment
in nonagricultural industries [29 CFR 570.58]. In agricultural industries,
minors under age 16 are prohibited from using forklifts [29 CFR
570.71 (a)(3)(ii)].
Not all working minors are covered by the FLSA. The regulations in agriculture do not apply to minors working on their parents' farms. Also exempted are youths aged 14 and 15 who are working under carefully regulated conditions in a bona fide vocational agriculture program.
ASME/ANSI B56.1-1993 requires the following [ASME 1993].
In addition to the above regulations, employers and workers should follow operator's manuals, which are supplied by all equipment manufacturers and describe the safe operation and maintenance of forklifts.
The cases presented here were investigated by the NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. The case reports were selected to represent the most common types of fatal forklift incidents: (1) forklift overturns, (2) workers struck, crushed, or pinned by a forklift, and (3) falls from a forklift.
On September 18, 1996, the 43-year-old president of an advertising sign company was killed while using a sit-down type forklift to unload steel tubing from a flatbed trailer. He was driving the forklift about 5 miles per hour beside the trailer on a concrete driveway with a 3% grade. The victim turned the forklift behind the trailer, and the forklift began to tip over on its side. The victim jumped from the operator's seat to the driveway. When the forklift overturned, the victim's head and neck became pinned to the concrete driveway under the falling-object protective structure (overhead guard). An inspection of the forklift revealed that the right-side rear axle stop was damaged before the incident and was not restricting the lateral sway of the forklift when it turned. Also, slack in the steering mechanism required the operator to turn the steering wheel slightly more than half a revolution before the wheels started to turn. The forklift was not equipped with a seat belt [NIOSH 1996b].
On April 25, 1995, a 37-year-old shop foreman was fatally injured after the sit-down type forklift he was operating overturned. The victim was turning while backing down an incline with a 4% grade. The forklift was transporting a 3-foot-high, 150-pound stack of cardboard with the forks raised approximately 60 inches off the ground. No one witnessed the incident. The victim was found with his head pinned under the overhead guard. The forklift was not equipped with a seat belt [California Department of Health Services 1996].
On November 25, 1996, a 41-year-old male laborer was fatally injured when the sit-down type forklift he was operating fell off a loading dock and pinned him under the overhead guard. The forklift was not equipped with a seat belt. The loading dock had large cracks in the surface and was in need of extensive repair. It was raining when the victim left the storage building to lift a load from the back of a pickup truck. Evidence indicates that either the victim's forklift was too close to the outer edge of the loading dock (which crumbled) or the right front tire was caught in a large crack in the loading dock, causing the forklift to overturn [Indiana State Department of Health 1996].
On October 19, 1995, a 39-year-old female punch press operator at a computer components manufacturer was fatally injured while performing normal work tasks at her station. A forklift was traveling in reverse at high speed toward the victim's work station. A witness observed the forklift strike a metal scrap bin (about 3 by 5 by 3½ feet), propelling it toward the punch press station. The bin hit the press and rebounded toward the forklift. There it was hit once again and shoved back against the corner of the press, striking and crushing the victim against the press [NIOSH 1996c].
On July 21, 1997, a 36-year-old male electric-line technician was fatally injured after falling from and being run over by a forklift. While the operator was driving the forklift, the victim was riding on the forks. As the operator approached an intersection, he slowed down and turned his head to check for oncoming traffic. When he turned his head back, he could not see the victim. He stopped the forklift, dismounted, and found the victim underneath the right side of the forklift [NIOSH 1997a].
On September 24, 1997, a 61-year-old male maintenance manager of a shelter for the homeless died after falling 7 feet from a safety platform that had been elevated by a forklift. The victim had been raised in a steel-framed, cage-type safety platform that had not been secured to the forklift. The victim removed a fluorescent light bulb from its fixture and stepped to one side of the safety platform. When the victim shifted his weight from the center of the platform to the outer edge, the safety platform toppled off the forks. The victim fell about 7 feet, struck his head on a concrete floor, and was subsequently struck by the steel safety platform [NIOSH 1997b].
On September 6, 1995, a 47-year-old male assistant warehouse manager was fatally injured while working with a forklift operator to pull tires from a storage rack. The two workers had placed a wooden pallet on the forks of the forklift, and the victim then stood on the pallet. The operator raised the forks and victim 16 feet above a concrete floor to the top of the storage rack. The victim had placed a few tires on the pallet when the operator noticed that the pallet was becoming unstable. The victim lost his balance and fell, striking his head on the floor [NIOSH 1996a].
National fatality data indicate that the three most common forklift-related fatalities involve forklift overturns, workers on foot being struck by forklifts, and workers falling from forklifts. The case studies indicate that the forklift, the factory environment, and actions of the operator can all contribute to fatal incidents involving forklifts. In addition, these fatalities indicate that many workers and employers are not using or may be unaware of safety procedures and the proper use of forklifts to reduce the risk of injury and death.
Reducing the risk of forklift incidents requires a safe work environment, a safe forklift, comprehensive worker training, safe work practices, and systematic traffic management.
NIOSH recommends that employers and workers comply with OSHA regulations and consensus standards, maintain equipment, and take the following measures to prevent injury when operating or working near forklifts.
The principal contributors to this Alert were Richard Braddee and James Collins, Ph.D., of the Division of Safety Research. Please direct any comments, questions, or requests for additional information to the following:
Dr. Nancy StoutLawrence J. Fine, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Acting Director, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ASME [1993]. Safety standard for low lift and high lift trucks. New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American National Standards Institute, ASME B56.11993.
BLS [1997]. Fatal workplace injuries in 1995: a collection of data and analysis. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Report 913.
BLS [1998]. Occupational injuries and illnesses: counts, rates, and characteristics, 1995. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2493.
California Department of Health Services [1996]. Shop foreman dies after being crushed by a forklift in California. Berkeley, CA: California Department of Health Services, California Fatality and Control Evaluation Program (CA FACE) Report No. 95CA00801.
CFR. Code of Federal regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.
Indiana State Department of Health [1996]. Laborer killed when forklift falls off loading dock. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program, (IN FACE) Report No. 96IN14901.
NIOSH [1996a]. Assistant manager dies after 15-foot fall from forklift-suspended palletSouth Carolina. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report No. 95-20.
NIOSH [1996b]. Company president killed when forklift overturnsNorth Carolina. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report No. 97-01.
NIOSH [1996c]. Press operator dies after forklift rams scrap binNorth Carolina. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report No. 96-04.
NIOSH [1997a]. Electric line technician dies after falling from forkliftNorth Carolina. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report No. 97-19.
NIOSH [1997b]. Maintenance manager dies after falling 7 feet from an elevated forklift safety platformNorth Carolina. Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report No. 98-01.
USC. United States code. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
DISCLAIMER
This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the NIOSH, EPA, or EOSA. Copies of this and other NIOSH documents are available from To receive other information about occupational safety and health DHHS (NIOSH)Publication
No. 2001-109
June 2001
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