MAIERS TRANSPORT & WAREHOUSING INC

Employee crushed to death by stack of particleboard

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on March 24, 2003, an employee was unloading particl eboard skids from a railcar. The employee removed eight skids of particleboard u sing a forklift. There were eight loose sheets of particleboard measuring approx imately 4 ft by 8 ft by 0.75 inch to the left side of the entrance door. The par ticleboard was stacked on the narrow side so the pile was approximately 8 feet h igh. Coworkers found the employee trapped under eight sheets of particleboard, i n a seated position, with the boards resting on his lap, pinning his chest again st the remaining skids. The particleboard weighed approximately 85 lbs each for a total of 680 lbs. The employee's injuries killed him. According to the investi gation, safety procedures, monitoring, and enforcement were in place. It was unk nown why the employee was in the railcar by himself before the particleboard had been safely removed.