Here’s an important reminder for forklift drivers: It’s crucial that they have a clear view of their path while backing up. Anything less can prove to be fatal.
A worker at South Dakota Wheat Growers’ Bristol Grain and Agronomy was killed recently in a forklift accident.
Twenty-three-year-old Eric Bratsveen was pinned between a forklift and a trailer, according to the Aberdeen News. He died later at a hospital.
Bratsveen was attaching a plate to the trailer while a forklift was backing up. The forklift driver didn’t see him.
OSHA is investigating.
Federal statistics show there are about 85 forklift fatalities and 35,000 serious injuries per year.
The main causes of forklift fatalities are:
- tip-overs (42%)
- crushed between forklift and a surface (25%)
- crushed between forklift and another vehicle (11%)
- struck or run over by a forklift (10%)
- struck by falling material (8%), and
- fall from platform on the forks (4%).