FACEValue: Worker killed by platform

Case report: #15KY032*
Issued by: Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
Date of incident: June 15, 2015

On the day of the incident, two subcontractors were standing on a platform suspended 40 feet in the air, installing exterior insulation on an aircraft hangar. The platform was secured to the forks of a telescopic forklift truck. The workers signaled for the operator to lower the platform. The foreman tilted the frame of the platform to avoid scraping the wall of the building during the platform descent and lost control of the lever handle. The weight of the extended platform caused the forklift to turn over onto its left side. It slammed the platform onto the concrete ground below, killing one worker and injuring the other. The cause of the victim’s death was determined to be multiple blunt force injuries caused by the 40-foot fall.

To help prevent similar occurrences:

• Provide appropriate siding equipment and ensure all employees are trained to operate it.
• When equipment is required to elevate siding installers, choose only equipment designated for that purpose.
• Avoid tilting a forklift truck when the platform is elevated.
• When using a forklift approved by the manufacturer for personnel lifting, the width of a scaffolding platform should not exceed the width of the forklift. wheel base.