Forward Air, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Mar 13, 2018: Employee is struck by forklift and fractures leg

At 7:25 a.m. on March 13, 2018, an employee was scanning merchandise stacked on a pallet, when a Yale forklift collided with the merchandise he was scanning. The forklift was being operated in the forward direction, carrying a load which had obstructed the operator's view. When the forklift struck the merchandise, the employee's left leg was pinned between the struck merchandise and the lower frame of the forklift. This combined action caused him to fall and roll approximately three feet away, resulting in a dislocated tibia and fibular fractures of the left leg. The employee spent three days in the hospital for treatment.

Incident on Jun 11, 2005: Crate falls on employee

At 10:47 a.m. on June 11, 2005, Employee #1 was standing on the warehouse floor, looking upward, checking on two large crates. Directly to his right were two ta ll crates of computer towers that weighed approximately 1100 pounds each. Employ ee #2 drove his forklift over to one of the crates and attempted to pick up the load. The load was not palletized and only had one to two inches of clearance un der it. Employee #2 was unable to see Employee #1 at this time, and as he attemp ted to slide the single tapered fork under the crate, it began to fall in the di rection of Employee #1. Employee #2 yelled out to Employee #1, who attempted to prevent the crate from falling. He was unsuccessful, and the crate fell on him, breaking his pelvis, both femurs, some ribs, and puncturing a lung. He was hospi talized for his injuries.

Incident on Nov 7, 2004 (fatal): Employee killed when forklift overturn

At 6:30 p.m., on November 7, 2004, Employee #1, a forklift operator, while worki ng at a freight company that receives large freight by truck, loading and manage ment of refrigeration coil, made of steel that is off loaded into a warehouse, s orted and loaded onto other trucks and sent to its final destinations. Employee #1 was working with two other forklift operator employees using Toyota brand for klifts, with weight capacities around 4500 lbs. Employee #1 and the other two fo rklift operators worked an hour in an attempt to maneuver from a semi truck trai ler, the 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 inches thick, with a hole in the middle 8 feet in diameter refrigeration coil that was secured in a light wood shipping crate to an upright position. There were not any forklifts with the load capacity for 6,614 lbs load. The three operators worked together to move the coil due to inab ility of any one forklift operator's forklift to handle the load of that weight. The load was lifted out of the truck, placed on the warehouse floor in an uprig ht position. The forks on Employee #1's forklift was used to balance the coil up right. One of the other forklift operators had to leave for a restroom break, an d told the Employee #1 and the other forklift operator to remain where they were . At that time, Employee #1 tried to move the coil load by pushing the light woo d shipping crate forward with his forklift. As he did the load fell over, pullin g the forklift over with it. Other employee witnesses said Employee #1 had a sea tbelt on, but got out of it and tried to jump out of the forklift. When the over turning forklift hit the ground, the employee's head was between the roll-over p rotective structure upper rail and the floor. Employee #1's head was crushed and died. L.A. County Fire Department responded to the accident and inspector A3315 arrived on site at 7:45 p.m.

Incident on Jan 17, 2003: Employee injured when forklift rolls over

At approximately 12:20 p.m. on January 17, 2003, Employee #1 was operating a for k lift truck in a warehouse. He dropped off a load and was backing up in a curve when the vehicle rolled over. His foot was fractured when it was crushed betwee n the ground and the forklift. He was hospitalized.