Rolling into trouble | Safe SolutionsAmy Staska
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...
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