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OSHA: Company could have prevented death at Logan Airport
Oxford Airport Technical Services will pay more than $46,000 in fines connected to four serious citations.
After a forklift operator died at Logan Airport last year, an investigation found that his employer might have prevented his death. The New York-based company will pay thousands due to serious violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.
Oxford Airport Technical Services — a Rochester, N.Y. company with about 400 employees — will pay more than $46,000 in fines connected to four serious citations.
“Every workplace fatality is tragic, especially when there are well-known safety measures that could have prevented the loss of a person’s life,” said OSHA Area Director James Mulligan in Braintree.
The forklift operator — identified as a 51-year-old Winthrop man — died after a forklift struck a structure and overturned on Aug. 29, 2023. According to the Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, he was not wearing a seatbelt.
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OSHA’s inspection found multiple other violations in addition to not ensuring their employees wore seatbelts.
OSHA said the forklift’s fork and mast were not raised as far as needed to clear the road. The company was fined more than $11,000 because not all operators were properly trained and certified.
Additionally, a damaged forklift was not examined before being placed into service, and a damaged forklift was not taken out of service.
“In this case, the employer failed to train and certify their forklift operators on critical safety requirements. It’s simply inexcusable,” Mulligan said in a statement.
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