OSHA fines Akron company for fatal forklift accident

Nancy Molnar, The Times-Reporter
·1 min read
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Mid-Ohio Forklifts, Inc. $9,557 for a violation that resulted in a technician being crushed to death under a forklift he was servicing.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Mid-Ohio Forklifts, Inc. $9,557 for a violation that resulted in a technician being crushed to death under a forklift he was servicing.

The Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration has fined an Akron company $9,557 for a workplace safety violation that resulted in the accidental death of a Portage County man.

Gregory A. Smith, 51, of Deerfield died after being crushed when a forklift that he was servicing fell on him Aug. 2 at Premere Enterprises, Inc. at 10822 Fort Laurens Rd. in Lawrence Township.

Smith worked for Mid-Ohio Forklifts, Inc. of Akron.

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OSHA cited Mid-Ohio for not cribbing, blocking or otherwise securing the forklift once it was raised, according to Scott Allen, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor in Chicago.

A report from the Tuscarwas County Sheriff's Office said the forklift's parking brake was disengaged and the machine's gear selector appeared to be in the neutral position. There did not appear to be any chocking blocks or anything else to prevent the machine from moving forward or in reverse.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Mid-Ohio Forklifts, Inc. $9,557 for a violation that resulted in a technician being crushed to death under a forklift he was servicing. The accident happened Aug. 2 at Premere Enterprises in Lawrence Township.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Mid-Ohio Forklifts, Inc. $9,557 for a violation that resulted in a technician being crushed to death under a forklift he was servicing. The accident happened Aug. 2 at Premere Enterprises in Lawrence Township.

Allen said the Akron company took corrective action. It audited technicians, safety equipment and procedures. Additional safety equipment was purchased, replaced, and upgraded. The employer increased oversight and quality, safety inspections and audits of field service technicians.

Mid-Ohio provides services to maintain forklifts and other power industrial vehicles.

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: OSHA fines Akron company in fatal forklift incident