L Brands employee dies after being crushed between conveyor belt, boxes
By: NBC4 Staff
Jan 07, 2019 05:33 PM EST
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (WCMH) --
An L Brands, Bath and Body Works employee died after he was crushed, caught between boxes and a conveyer belt on January 4th, a spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said Monday.
According to OSHA spokesperson Larry Johnson, the incident happened around 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 4th at 7 Limited Parkway. Employees were loading product onto a truck using an expandable conveyor when the employee, identified as 56-year-old Harvey Beavers in the incident report, got pinned between it and boxes, and was crushed.
Beavers was pinned in the machinery for about 10 minutes before he was extricated. CPR was performed and he was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He had a partner responsible for placing packages on the conveyer belt into the trailer. The partner reported hearing 3-4 loud bangs around 1:40 a.m. and thought packages were falling from the conveyer. He checked the area but nothing had fallen. He noticed a red light above the conveyer, which signifies a malfunction/stoppage. He looked inside the trailer and saw Beaver pinned against the wall of boxes stacked inside the trailer, shaking. He yelled for help.
According to the incident report, Beavers was pinned facing the wall of boxes with the conveyer pressing into his lower back and against the wall of boxes. The end pressed against him contained all controls for moving the conveyer in and out of the trailer, as well as the emergency shut off. The conveyer was pressed so tightly they were unable to get access to the equipment to move it back; instead, they had to tear down the wall of boxes around Beavers to free him.
L Brands Inc, a Columbus-based fashion retailer with brands including Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works formerly known as The Limited, Inc, is expected to issue a statement shortly. Check back for updates on this developing story.
This is the third fatal industrial accident in as many weeks in Central Ohio after a man was crushed to death at Liberty Casting in Delaware, Ohio and an employee was killed at the Fluvitex facility.
OSHA is investigating Beavers' death.
===========================================
By Bethany Bruner
The Columbus Dispatch
January 8, 2019
Harvey Beavers, 56, of Gahanna, was one of two employees loading boxes of Bath and Body Works products onto a truck using an expandable conveyor when he became pinned between the machine and the stacked boxes and was crushed.
The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating the death of an L Brands employee who died on Friday after an industrial accident at the company’s massive Reynoldsburg complex.
Harvey Beavers, 56, of Gahanna, was one of two employees loading boxes of Bath and Body Works products onto a truck using an expandable conveyor when he became pinned between the machine and the stacked boxes and was crushed, according to an OSHA incident report.
The incident occurred about 1:45 a.m. Friday. Paramedics from the West Licking Joint Fire District, Violet Township and Jefferson Township responded to the Bath & Body Works facility at the L Brands retail fashion and body care product complex at 8525 E. Broad St. and took about 10 minutes to extricate Beavers.
The controls to the machinery were at Beavers’ back, leaving him unable to shut it down himself and forcing rescuers to unload boxes full of product to get to him, the OSHA report indicates.
Beavers was rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of our colleague, Harvey. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this very difficult time,” L Brands said in a company statement issued Monday. “Our top priority is associate safety, and we are cooperating fully with OSHA as they work to determine the cause of his death.”