OA Logistics Services, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Sep 20, 2019: Employee injures back after being thrown from reach truck

At 7:15 a.m. on September 20, 2019, an employee who worked in forklift inventory for a large distribution warehouse was operating a two-stage high-reach lift truck. The employee was in the process of exchanging the forklift he was operating for another forklift. Instead of exiting the building to access the adjoining building, the employee mistakenly attempted to drive through the breezeway connecting both buildings. The employee was driving in reverse through the breezeway door when the top of the mast struck the bottom of the overhead door. The operator was not carrying a load and the forks were just a few inches above the ground. The employee was thrown to the concrete floor due to the impact. The employer had communicated recent changes in procedures and provided new instructions to employees but the employee did not follow the instructions to use an alternative doorway. The employee injured his back including compressing a disc and fracturing the T12 vertebra and below which required hospitalization.