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FACE Facts
Safety Alert

Occupational Health Surveillance Program
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
May 2009

Forklift Operator Crushed between Forklift Cage and Mast

Incident:
In 2008, a 61-year-old forklift operator was killed while stacking pallets of waste cardboard inside a tractor trailer in Massachusetts.  The victim transported a pallet into the tractor trailer, and while he was trying to place it on top of other stacked pallets, it became stuck.  The victim exited the operator’s area with the forklift running and the load still raised to assess the problem.  To get a better look, he stepped up onto the outside of the forklift and reached up between the forklift’s cage and mast.  His foot hit the forklift’s mast tilting control lever, causing the mast to tilt back, crushing him against the cage.

Forklifts, also called powered industrial trucks, are used in many work settings, primarily to move materials.

To reduce the risk of severe injury and death:
•	Never stand or place any part of your body between the operator’s cage and the uprights of the mast while the forklift is running.
•	Follow these steps before exiting the forklift:
1.	Lower the forks to the ground. 
2.	Set the travel directional controls to neutral. 
3.	Turn off the forklift.
4.	Set the forklift’s brakes.
5.	Block wheels if parked on an incline.

To operate forklifts you must be trained and certified.
It is against the law for workers less than 18 years of age to operate forklifts.

More information on back.

Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Project, 1-800-338-5223

BACK

FACE Facts
Safety Alert

Occupational Health Surveillance Program
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
May 2009

Information for Employers:

To operate forklifts, workers must be trained and certified as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Workers who operate forklifts in Massachusetts must also obtain a hoisting license issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety (DPS).  For more information about the Massachusetts hoisting license go to www.mass.gov/dps.

Employers with employees operating forklifts, including occasionally rented forklifts, must:
•	Train and certify employees on proper operation of forklifts including all hazards, such as the potential of being crushed between the forklift’s cage and mast.  (For the full OSHA training and certification requirements on powered industrial trucks, as well as the Powered Industrial Trucks Regulation—29 CFR 1910.178—go to www.osha.gov.)
•	Routinely evaluate forklift operator performance and provide refresher forklift training.
•	Ensure workers have a hoisting license issued by DPS.

Forklift Safety Resources:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) eTool
www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/etools/pit/

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
NIOSH Alert: Preventing Injuries and Death of Workers Who Operate or Work Near Forklifts.   Publication # 2001-109
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2001-109/

Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Massachusetts FACE Facts: Three Massachusetts Forklift Operators Killed
www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/occupational_health/forklift_operators.pdf

Young Worker Forklift Safety Sticker
www.youthrules.dol.gov/posters.htm#Sticker

Massachusetts FACE Facts: 16-year-old Massachusetts youth was Fatally Injured at Work While Operating a Forklift
http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/occupational_health/forklift.pdf

Massachusetts Health and Safety Resources:
Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety
Offers free consultation services to help employers improve their safety and health programs and train employees.
www.mass.gov/dos/consult

Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents
Has grants available for providing workplace health and safety training to employers and       employees in companies covered by the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Insurance Law.
www.mass.gov/dia/Safety

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), in cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, conducts the project known as FACE (Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation).  FACE seeks to prevent occupational fatalities by identifying and investigating these incidents and then developing and disseminating prevention strategies to those who can intervene in the workplace.

This document is in the public domain and may be copied freely and can be found on the MDPH website at www.mass.gov/dph/face.  Please share this document with others.  If you have comments or questions, call the Massachusetts FACE project at 1-800-338-5223.