Minnesota man killed following forklift accident at Wisconsin-based company
A Minnesota man who was an employee at a Wisconsin-based home improvement store was killed Friday following a forklift accident while he was on the job. Various media reports say the man was working at a Menards home improvement store in a southern Minneapolis suburb last week when the incident occurred. “The Hennepin County Medical […]
A Minnesota man who was an employee at a Wisconsin-based home improvement store was killed Friday following a forklift accident while he was on the job.
Various media reports say the man was working at a Menards home improvement store in a southern Minneapolis suburb last week when the incident occurred.
“The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said Tuesday that 27-year-old Alec Saunders of Burnsville died Friday at Hennepin County Medical Center of blunt-force chest injuries after being injured at a Menards in Burnsville earlier that day,” an article in the Beloit Daily News reads.
An OSHA spokesman told the media that Saunders was injured when the forklift rolled over in the yard section of the store.
“Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based Menards said in a statement the company is devastated by Saunders’ death. The company declined to address the circumstances of his death, citing the OHSA investigation,” the article reads.
Burnsville police and the medical examiner’s office are also investigating the employee’s death.
OSHA statistics indicate that there are roughly 85 forklift fatalities and 34,900serious injuries each year in the United States, with 42 percent of the forklift fatalities from the operator’s being crushed by a tipping vehicle.
The safest place for the driver to be is strapped into the seat with a seat belt, according to OSHA.
OSHA reports that 70 percent of workplace accidents can be avoided with proper training and safety procedures. NIOSH states that the three most common types of injuries occur when: A forklift overturns; workers are struck, crushed, or pinned by a forklift; and when workers fall from a forklift.
About 95,000 injuries are reported every year due to operating forklifts. Most fatalities occur when a forklift tips over.
Federal OSHA requires that forklift vehicles be inspected at least daily, or after each shift when used around the clock. OSHA does not require that forklift inspections be documented.
Overexertion Injuries, including injuries related to pulling, lifting, pushing, holding, carrying, and throwing activities at work are the No. 1 work-related injury reported to OSHA each year. Overexertion has not only consistently been the number one workplace injury, but it is also the most expensive.
