Job Injury Lawyer – Texas Amazon Employees are Injured in Forklift Accidents – Pt. 5

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in the serious injury report updated monthly, reports another forklift-related accident at a Texas Amazon location. On January 12, 2018, at 2701 W. Bethel Road in Coppell, Texas, a forklift operator was injured. Amazon is not likely a Texas workers’ comp program participant in Texas.

The Texas workplace accident is summarized as follows:

On January 12, 2018, an Amazon employee in Coppell was operating a powered industrial truck (PIT) when she suffered a Texas work injury. She was turning the industrial truck around near a racking system. In the process, the truck struck a vertical support column. The employee’s leg became pinned between the column and the PIT. She was hospitalized for treatment of the serious injury.

Benefits of Forklift Operator Training

Employers are required to ensure that all forklift operators receive the proper training in order to keep themselves and others safe. The number of accidents and fatalities is reduced when forklift operators are sufficiently trained. Comprehensive training includes the following categories and more:

Basic operations
How to identify malfunctions
Retaining balance
Knowing best practices

The following are examples of best practices for forklift operators:

If visibility is temporarily obstructed in the work area, use the help of a spotter.
When backing up or approaching a blind spot, use the horn.
Always wear a safety belt.
At all times, keep the forklift within the safe speed for both the machine and the job.
Service equipment routinely.
Never overload the listed capacity of a forklift.

Learn more in Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, and Pt. 4 of this ongoing series.

This website provides posts for the purpose of helping Texas injured workers, particularly when the employer has not subscribed to the state’s workers’ compensation program. There is never an intention to imply wrongs on the part of persons or entities.

–Guest Contributor

Written By: