Recycling facility gets safety citation after worker struck by forklift
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $84,000 in fines against a New York recycling facility as a result of a forklift incident that injured an employee.
A worker at Tomra NY Recycling L.L.C.'s Schenectady, New York, recycling facility was operating a baler in May when he was struck by a forklift that was attempting to pass by, leaving the worker with a compound leg fracture, OSHA said Friday in a statement.
The agency found that the aisle was not wide enough to allow safe passage by the forklift and that the forklift was driven too close to the employee, according to the statement. Four forklifts, including the one that struck the worker, also were defective and not taken out of service as required by the federal safety agency's powered industrial truck standard, according to the agency.
OSHA cited the company for one willful violation of its rules for the defective forklifts and two serious violations for the other hazards.
“This injury could have been prevented, and the employer's failure to properly maintain forklifts and ensure adequate clearance exposed all facility workers to unnecessary dangers,” Amy Philips, OSHA's acting area director in Albany, New York, said in the statement.
A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
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