J. Construction Co.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Oct 26, 2007 (fatal): Employee killed when caught by overturned lift truck

On October 26, 2007, Employee #1 and a coworker were engaged in a masonry operat ion on a Super Wal-Mart store in Colerain, OH. They were using two Lull rough-te rrain forklifts, in tandem, to move a 56 ft bridge section of a Hydro-Mobile sca ffold. The 7,100 lb scaffold section had twelve 2 in. by 10 in. by 16 ft planks, a quarter barrel of water, and four metal scaffold gates on top of the bridge. Each operator was using a nylon sling hooked through the scaffold bridge and bot h eyes of each sling was looped onto the forks of the respective lift trucks in preparation for transporting the structure to another location on the job site. Employee #1 had four forks on his Lull 644TT, two of which were moved completely over to the driver's side of the Lull; the sling was attached with the forks in this position to allow him to serve as the 'pivot' man. The coworker's 944 Lull had the proportionate load spread between two forks on opposite sides of the ma chine, more evenly distributing the weight. The two workers had moved the bridge to the vicinity of where it was to be eventually re-erected and were attempting to set it on the 30 yd dumpster when Employee #1's forklift overturned toward t he driver's side, where the load was attached. He was not wearing a seat belt an d he either jumped or fell from the lift truck and was crushed by the frame of t he unit. The load either was not lowered evenly between the two Lulls or it shif ted and the majority of the load, along with way it was secured to the forks res ulted in the forklift tipping over.