Forklift fatality leads to $67,000 in OSHA penalties
Vehicle was defective, driver didn’t have a clear view
National Pipe and Plastics Inc., of Vestal, NY has been cited by OSHA for 16 serious violations of workplace health and safety standards after a March 22 incident in which a truck driver working for a separate company was fatally struck by a forklift driven by a National Pipe employee.
OSHA inspectors determined that two of the 16 violations found following the March inspection related to the truck driver's death; the truck driver was picking up a load of pipes at the plant. Inspectors found that the forklift had an inoperative backup alarm, and the forklift driver did not have a clear view of the travel path.