Alert 99 – 02 Forklift Accident
WHAT HAPPENED:
A crew was in the process of rigging up a rig on location. They were attempting to attach the derrick board to the mast and were using a forklift to lift the board into place. Chains were used to secure the derrick board to the forks and to the forklift. When they attempted to raise the derrick board, the board would rock forward because the bulk of the weight was on the front portion of the forks. A decision was made to use the smaller whip line from the crane to aid in the lift and also help balance the derrick board. Two employees stood on the derrick board as it was being lifted into position. They were going to pin the derrick board to the mast. As they were being lifted up, the crossbeam, which was chained to the forklift, came apart. The derrick board was pulled off the forklift’s forks by the crane’s whip line and the two workers fell/jumped to the ground. One of the employees struck his head on a rock and died from a blunt force trauma to the head and multiple skull fractures.