Don't Bale
Every year many workers in the US are killed when they attempt to bale out of a tipping forklift.
Menards worker killed in forklift accident at Minnesota store
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (KARE) -- A Menards worker was killed Friday in what the Hennepin County Medical Examiner is calling a "forklift mishap" while working at the Burnsville store.
Authorities say the incident happened around 8:56 a.m. Friday at the Menards at 2700 E. Hwy. 13. The man was identified by the medical examiner's office as 27-year-old Alec Saunders on Tuesday.
According to officials, Saunders died of blunt force chest injuries.
Witnesses say the worker was trying to move two-by-fours when the forklift started to flip over. They say he tried to jump off the equipment and that's when it landed on top of him.
I can't begin to tell you how many times this same story has played out all around the country. It is so disheartening to hear it again. This is perhaps the toughest skill to teach a driver of a forklift - STAY IN THE COCKPIT. All the facts and figures will tell you intellectually that this is the safe thing to do, however when the truck starts to wobble, the gut feeling is to bale.
Two thing can help us fight this dangerous reaction:
1) Keep telling yourself - I will stay in the cockpit and practice bracing yourself in the cockpit preparing for a fall.
2) Wear your seatbelt. This alone may delay your departure from the cockpit enough to save your lift.