Employer might have prevented fatal forklift incident at Logan International Airport by ensuring proper safeguards, Department of Labor finds

Summary

A fatal accident occurred on August 29, 2023, at Boston's Logan International Airport, involving a forklift operator employed by Oxford Airport Technical Services. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has found that the employer failed to ensure proper safeguards for operating and maintaining forklifts, which may have prevented the accident. The investigation revealed several violations, including:

Failure to ensure the operator wore a seatbelt
Forks and mast not raised only as far as necessary to clear the road surface
Insufficient training and certification of forklift operators
Damaged forklifts not examined or taken out of service

OSHA has issued four serious citations with proposed penalties of $46,096. The employer has 15 business days to respond to the citations, request a conference, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.