Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report: Hispanic Forklift Operator Dies After Being Caught Between Mast and Cage of Forklift in North Carolina

摘要

On July 13, 2002, a 54-year-old Hispanic forklift operator (the victim) died after being caught between the mast and the protective operator's cage of a sit-down type forklift. The victim had been assigned the task of transporting pallets of yarn from the production floor of a textile plant to the plant's warehouse. The victim had been performing the task since the beginning of the third shift which began at midnight. At approximately 5:40 a.m., the shift foreman and another plant worker were walking through the warehouse when they noticed the victim in a standing position caught between the mast and the protective operator's cage of the forklift, with his left foot on the mast control and his right foot on the operator's seat. They ran to assist the victim and found him non-responsive with no vital signs. The shift foreman summoned more coworkers to help, then called 911. When fire and police personnel responded, they cut the hydraulic lines on the forklift. As the hydraulic lines bled off, the mast lowered and they were able to extricate the victim from the machine. Emergency medical service personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene. NIOSH investigators gave recommendations to help prevent similar incidents.