Worker Fined $2,000 for Striking Co-Worker with Forklift

Workers were cleaning a drywall warehouse, using a forklift to help them organize materials. A young worker walked behind the forklift. The forklift operator, unaware of the young worker’s location, reversed the forklift and struck him, causing bone fractures and nerve damage. The forklift operator was found guilty as a worker of using or operating equipment or working in a manner that endangered himself or other workers and fined $2,000. (The employer, Rona Cashway, had previously pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that barriers, warning signs or other safeguards were in place to protect workers in an area where vehicular traffic may endanger a worker and was fined $65,000.) [Patrick Murphy, Govt. News Release, June 11, 2013].