Interline Brands, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on May 10, 2016 (fatal): Worker falls from powered industrial truck platform and dies

At 8:15 p.m. on May 10, 2016, Employee #1 was standing on a powered industrial truck platform to retrieve items from the third rack of industrial warehouse shelving. The platform was approximately 15 feet from the ground. As Employee #1 was picking up an object from the shelving, he fell to the ground and was knocked unconscious. A coworker, who was driving by the aisle, noticed the worker lying face down with his head next to the vehicle and his feet near the racks on the opposite side of the aisle. The warehouse supervisor was notified of the incident and emergency services were contacted. The worker was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for his injuries that included a fractured skull, lacerations, crushed vertebra, broken toe, and bruising throughout his body. The worker died four months later on September 25, 2016. The incident investigation revealed that the worker was wearing a full body harness; however, it could not be verified whether his 6 foot lanyard was connected to the O-ring on the back of his body harness. The lanyard was hanging freely from the lift truck's anchorage point on the elevated platform.