Sensitive Environment: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Aug 28, 2019: Two employees are injured in fall from lift

At 11:45 p.m. on August 28, 2019, two employees were working on a scissor lift extended approximately fifteen in the air to access the spindle of a manual rolling door of a warehouse to remove it. The forks of a forklift were raised to the bottom of the spindle so that it could be lowered by the forks and not free fall to the ground. The employees secured the spindle to the forks with a heavy chain however, as the employees were removing the last bolt, they had to remove the chain to access the bolt. The employees did not replace the chain as the bolt was removed. As Employee #1 removed the bolt with a tile bar, the spindle came off the wall with enough force to bounce off the forks and the wall before hitting the ground and striking the scissor lift. The spindle knocked the scissor lift to the asphalt with the employees on it. Emergency services were notified, arrived on site, stabilized the employees and transported them to a local medical center. Employee #1 was treated for broken ribs and a broken back and underwent surgery for the injury to his back and was released from the hospital on September 6, 2019. Employee #2 was treated and underwent surgery for a broken foot.