We were asked to begin this blog because of our knowledge of what is
actually occurring in our industry. We have found that many will say “we never
knew…”, “we were unaware…”, “we did not think this occurred in our industry” when
they meet the editors of the Aluminium Plant Safety Blog for the first time. We explain that our
goal is not to place a negative spotlight upon our industry but hope that by
publicizing these incidents we can prevent recurrence.
On the occasion where we are afforded an audience of factory floor
workers we talk about the importance of following your training, not skipping
steps, not making assumptions, and no regrets. Here is a recent story from another industry that we believe
can be used as training tool in our industry.
A man
was indicted one day during the week of April 17, 2016 in the Midwest United
States in the early 2016 forklift death of a contract worker at the automotive
manufacturing facility.
A grand
jury indicted the worker, on one count of reckless homicide for the death of worker
who died in early January 2016 after being struck by a forklift driven by the
man.
The
man was served a summons, is likely to be arraigned sometime before mid May 2016,
said the local county prosecutor.
The
deceased was crossing a causeway between two buildings at the facility, about
five minutes into his shift when the mishap occurred. One other person
witnessed part of the accident, said the local county prosecutor, who declined
to give details.
"This
was a well-lit area with stop signs, controlled much like any crosswalk on a
public street," said the local prosecutor.
The
forklift was carrying a load of trash that might have obscured the driver’s
visibility, authorities said at the time. County Coroner said the causeway did
not have surveillance cameras, and there was no video recording of the
accident.
The
indictment alleges that the drive’s speed, failure to yield and failure to
operate with appropriate lookout all contributed to the worker’s death.
The
injured worker was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from a crushed
skull shortly after the incident. According to the automotive manufacturing
plant, the deceased worker was moved to neighboring community about 40 minutes
from the worksite.
The
forklift driver worked for a subcontractor, which had a contract to remove
waste from the facility. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
cleared the subcontractor and the automotive manufacturing company of any
safety violations which might have contributed to the death.
Auto
company officials say they have cooperated with investigators, but offered no
details, citing "a pending legal matter."
The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog offers our sincere condolences to
the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. This incident has
changed/shattered the lives of many who were friends and family of the deceased
worker. The use of the word “mishap" in this news article is a poor
choice. Why, because a life lost is not a “mishap”. For many this life lost
will be defining moment in their lives. We hope overtime they will remember the
deceased worker for how he lived, their interactions with him, not how he died.
When we talk to workers about “no regrets” we explain the importance
of not making mistakes, watching out for your coworkers, and the sad reality of
what could occur if you skip steps, make assumptions, or not following your
training. The result could be the worker injuring or killing themselves, or
worse injuring or killing a coworker. We have spoken to many workers who
failure to either speak up about a worker unsafe behavior, or that failed to
following training resulted in the death of a coworker. That pain pales in
comparison to the deceased workers family. But, there pain is real and never
ever goes away. It a shadow that follows the worker for the rest of their
lives. So, no regrets. If you see a worker performing a task unsafely it is
your duty to speak up. You can politely mention it to the worker, their
supervisor, your boss. You have to.
The aftermath of this incident is unique in many ways. We have heard
incidents where the operators of equipment were prosecuted because of operating
under the influence of drugs. But, not in this case. The local prosecutor
believed that the circumstances warranted a charge of “one count of reckless
homicide”. The news media does not state what “degree” of reckless homicide. In
the state where the indictment was put forth reckless homicide is defined as
anyone who recklessly causes the death of another person or the unlawful
termination of another person’s pregnancy. If you are convicted of reckless
homicide, you will face a third degree felony. This charge entails at least one
year and at most five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
This incident has showed that your actions may be held against you
in a court of law. So we emphasize to all workers, follow your training, do not
skip steps, and do not make assumptions. We would assume that in this incident
that forklift driver failed to follow his training and made the fatal assumption
that no pedestrians were in the vicinity.
The Aluminium International Today magazine had an article about
another industry’s catastrophe and how the aluminium industry can learn from
it. Here it is.
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