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JICOSH Home > Case Studies > Case No.6
Case No.6

Operator crushed by suddenly descending forklift container while trying to remove a piece of wood caught between the lift cylinders 
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[Circumstances of Incident]

This accident occurred when an operator was loading waste on a truck at a company that processes industrial waste.

The operations involved breaking up and sorting household and industrial waste by using scrapping machines at an open space on the company's ground, classifying the waste by material type and transporting it to waste landfills by trucks.

Although the day of the accident was Sunday, the operator arrived at the company at nine o'clock in the morning and started loading wooden scrap on the truck by a forklift to finish work that was not completed on Saturday.

Shortly after he started the loading work, a piece of wood fell from the container and became caught between the lift cylinders, preventing the container from descending.

The operator left the driver's seat, went in front of the forklift (under the container) and tried use a crowbar to pull out the piece of wood. The container suddenly fell, crushing the operator's chest and abdomen.   
[Causes]

The following can be cited as the causes of this accident.

1. Without taking any safety measures, the operator went to the front of the forklift (under the container) and tried to pull out the piece of wood. It is always necessary to use a safety block or other similar means in such situations to ensure the safety of the operator even if the fork suddenly drops.

2. The indirect causes of this accident relate to the following:
The company management lacked adequate understanding of the need for safety management at workplaces. There were no employees who had completed any forklift operation skill training courses. In addition, no specified voluntary inspections of forklifts had been implemented by this company.  



[Type of business] Industrial waste management business
[Type of accident]Caught or trapped
[Number of victims] One fatality
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