Stagehand Killed in Forklift Accident

[MNicolai]

Stagehand Killed in Forklift Accident

PELHAM, AL — A member of IATSE Local 78 in Birmingham, Ala. was killed shortly after midnight July 24 during the load-out for the Tony Hawk Boom Boom Huck Jam at the Verizon Wireless Music Center, formerly known as the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.

Witnesses said the load-out was nearly complete when stagehand Vladimir Shilkrot lost control of the forklift he was using to load a truck. The forklift struck something as it was turning sharply. It toppled over, landing on Shilkrot and killing him instantly.

SOURCE

[Van]

Several years ago we had a fifteen year old boy killed here in Portland, in a forklift accident. It, like this one sounds, was completely unnecessary. One of the most common causes of death in forklift/lift truck accidents is when one turns too sharply on an embankment, the forklift rolls, and the drive, not wearing a seat belt is partially ejected and the roll cage lands on his / her head. This is a completely senseless accident.
If you ever operate a lift truck;
A. Make sure you are certified to operate it. Looks easy but obviously they can kill you.
B. Make sure you follow ALL safety rules. Some might seem silly, some might seem way too over protective. they are all there for a reason.

Lastly if you are in the presence of someone operaterating a lift truck unsafely report them immediately to a supervisor. You may be saving your life and theirs.

[Pie4Weebl]

Darwin at work on this one.

In a related but not note I though I was gonna die at the convention center today with how reckless some of the fork drivers were...

[len]

Isn't this the second accidental death related to this show?

Even one is too many.

[Footer]

From what I have read, the road trucks were already loaded when this accident occured. They were loading a 24' truck from a local vendor. I have a feeling this was involved in some late in the gig antics. Can't tell you how many times I have seen some scary stuff happen during the end of the truck pack.

[TimMiller]

also make sure things on the forklift are working properly such as the brakes. I once had the brakes quit on me while i was backing up, and putting it in first did not do anything either, it just continued to roll backwards, until i pulled the parking brake. Apparently there was some hydraulic failure.

[Van]

Originally Posted by Footer4321

From what I have read, the road trucks were already loaded when this accident occured. They were loading a 24' truck from a local vendor. I have a feeling this was involved in some late in the gig antics. Can't tell you how many times I have seen some scary stuff happen during the end of the truck pack.

It's the classic " It's always fun 'till someone puts an eye out..." Everybodies feeling great at the nd of a load. One guy hops on a lift to go put it away speeds his way over there hits a bump runs into someone flips the truck, whatever.
There is a pre-flight checklist for operating forks it should be followed ie checking brakes, transmision, look for leaks, etc.
Another big cause of roll-overs is using a "wharehouse" truck outdoors. Trucks with rigid slick wheels are not intended to go beyound a certain caster, they are not meant to be run on un-even surfaces, most of them only have a 3 point suspension and that can cause huge issues on a non-level surface.

[cdub260]

Just in case anyone here is unaware, OSHA regulations require that that anyone operating a forklift, which is classified as an Industrial Truck, be trained in the use of that vehicle. The employer is responsible for insuring that all operators are trained. I've been through this training. Its not that difficult.

Also, the operator is required to perform a safety check prior to putting the lift into service. Basically, you have to inspect and test every system on the lift prior to use.