A Forklift Operator is Killed in a Fatal Texas Work Accident-Pt2
Forklift-related injuries and fatalities in U.S. workplaces are reported routinely by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Employees at big-box stores are frequently at risk for injuries and fatalities related to forklifts. This includes Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Amazon, they are not likely participants in the Texas program of workers’ compensation insurance.
Continuing from Part 1 of this series, the following are details about citations issued to Reinforced Earth Company in Waco, Texas, after a fatal forklift accident that occurred in December 2020.
Standard Allegedly Violated:19100178 M02
This standard pertains to powered industrial trucks and states that when any portion of a truck is elevated, no one is permitted to stand or pass underneath it, whether the elevated portion is empty or has a load on it. The initial and current penalty for this alleged safety violation is $12,288.
Standard Allegedly Violated:19100178 M05 I
This safety standard, also related to forklifts and other powered industrial trucks, provides instructions for occasions when these industrial vehicles are left unattended. The power must be shut off, brakes must be set, controls must be set to neutral, and the load must be fully lowered. If the vehicle is parked on an incline, wheels shall be blocked. The initial and current penalty for this alleged safety violation is $12,288.
Learn more in this ongoing series.
The goal of providing posts on this website is to help Texas employees injured in the workplace and the family members of workers in Texas who died on the job. This applies when the employer is not a participant in the workers’ compensation program in the state of Texas. On this site, there is no intention of making an implication that wrongs have occurred on the part of any persons or organizations.
–Guest Contributor
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