Safe Solutions

Jesse had been disposing of roofing materials all morning and had kept up well with the other workers. The crew was tearing off and reroofing the roofing company's office building and garage, and today, they were starting the second of four sections. Jesse's job was moving wheelbarrows of tear-off materials across the roof and dumping them into the trash chute. As the owner's son, 17-year-old Jesse wanted to prove he could keep up and was willing to do any job the foreman threw at him.

By late afternoon, the tear-off was done and the old materials were in the trash bin. As Jesse picked up trash and other debris that had accumulated on the ground, Russ, the crew's long-time foreman, leaned over the roof edge and yelled down to Jesse to bring over a pallet of felt rolls and rig it so Russ could lift it with the hoist. It was near the end of the day, but Russ thought he could mop down a few more rolls if he could get the materials quickly. He didn't want to take the time to climb down from the roof, so he instructed Jesse to hop in the forklift and bring the pallet over.

Jesse knew how the forklift worked, but he was forbidden from driving it. Stan, his dad, had made it clear that under no circumstances was Jesse to drive the forklift until he was 18 years old and certified. Training provisions for all forklift employees in the construction industry is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA specifically states employers must certify each operator has been trained and evaluated as required.

Jesse was sure Russ knew he was not supposed to drive the forklift, but Jesse didn't want to appear afraid or unwilling to do a job. So he walked over to the forklift in the warehouse and saw the keys in the ignition.

Jesse climbed into the seat, put on the seatbelt and turned the key. His heart was beating fast, but he carefully maneuvered the forks under the pallet and lifted the load—something he had seen workers do hundreds of times. He wasn't sure which control to use to tilt back the load, so he left the forks parallel to the ground and turned the forklift to approach the ramp.

Although not more than 3 feet (0.9 m) high, the 10-foot (3-m) incline ramp leading to the ground suddenly looked to Jesse like the first hill on a roller coaster. He exited the warehouse at a slight angle to the doorway and started a slow descent down.

If he had been moving faster, had the load centered or had approached the incline straight on, he might have made it to the bottom without a problem. But his combined mistakes caused the unstable forklift to roll over.

Jesse panicked but knew he was supposed to stay in the forklift. Fortunately, he had fastened the seatbelt, which helped hold him in as the forklift fell on its side and slid several feet down the concrete ramp.

Russ and other crew members heard the crash and ran to the roof edge to look. As soon as they saw what happened, they quickly climbed down the ladder and went to help Jesse. Jesse was dazed, but they couldn't tell whether he was hurt.

Russ unbuckled Jesse's seatbelt and asked him whether he could get up. Jesse groaned when he tried to push himself up, and they decided he must have broken his wrist or arm in a reflexive action to protect himself from the ground. Otherwise, he seemed OK.

As this was happening, Stan arrived at the office. He quickly assessed the situation, and though he knew he'd have to discipline someone, he first focused on Jesse's injuries and took him to the hospital.

Several hours later, Jesse's X-rays revealed he only had sprained his wrist and would be sore for a few weeks. In the car on the way home, Jesse and Stan discussed the accident.

Jesse admitted he knew he wasn't supposed to drive the forklift. Stan knew how important working at the company was to Jesse, so he determined a fitting punishment would be a three-day suspension without pay and assigning Jesse to office work for the remainder of the summer.

When they returned to the office the next morning, Russ was waiting. As soon as they walked in the door, he apologized profusely for encouraging Jesse to operate a forklift. He explained he knew Jesse was underage and had not been certified. He also admitted he had put his desire to get work done above Jesse's safety and the company's best interests. He apologized to Jesse and Stan.

Stan was thankful Russ was apologetic but knew he had to enforce discipline consistent with company policy to uphold his commitment to safety. A foreman encouraging unsafe actions was a serious issue.

Stan placed Russ on a three-day suspension without pay. Russ understood and agreed to explain the situation and resulting disciplinary measures to his crew so they fully would understand the policy and Stan's commitment to safety.

Amy Staska is NRCA's director of education programs.