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Case No.104

Fall while adjusting the sliding door for ventilation from the fork of a forklift
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[Description of the Accident]

This accident took place at a mill that manufactures buckwheat flour.

Because lots of heat is generated from the milling rollers installed on the second floor of the factory, sliding doors are installed on the second floor to provide ventilation and exhaust the heat.

On the day of the accident, Workers A and B were carrying out work on their lunchtime to adjust a ventilation sliding door that had not been working properly.

The procedure they plan to carry out for this work was as follows: (1) Worker B would move the forklift under the sliding door for ventilation; (2) one pallet would be put into the fork and a total of eight pallets would be piled up on top of it; (3) Worker A would get on the pile of pallets; (4) Worker B would operate the forklift to raise the fork; (5) Worker A would adjust the sliding door for ventilation. During this adjusting work, however, Worker A lost his footing and fell from the pallet.
[Causes supposed]

1. Although one pallet was put into the fork and seven more piled on top of it (making a total of eight pallets with a total height of 1.11 m), no measures to prevent falling were taken, and the worker got on the fork without wearing a safety helmet, and the work was carried out by lifting him to a height of about 5.7 m from the ground.

2. The person who operated the forklift was not qualified to operate it, and the company had allowed this person to engage in forklift operations even before the time of the accident.
[Type of business] Food manufacturing industry
[Caused by] Forklift
[Type of accident] Fall
[Number of victims] One fatality
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