By Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com
on August 31, 2015
HARRISBURG, PA
A 40-year-old man died Sunday night after he was impaled by a bundle of steel in an industrial accident in Harrisburg, fire officials said Monday.
The accident occurred just before 11 p.m. at Dayton Parts, in the 1300 block of North Cameron Street.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Firefighters stayed at the scene until 2 a.m. Monday stabilizing the steel bundle and helping the coroner to free the body.
Dayton Parts website
The victim's name was not released.
According to Fire Chief Brian Enterline:
The worker was operating a forklift machine and removing bundles of steel from 24-foot shelving in the warehouse. The worker had removed one bundle, and in the process, inadvertently dislodged a second bundle, causing it to jut out into the aisle.
The worker turned his forklift around to proceed down the narrow aisle and apparently didn't see the second bundle sticking out. Three sections of flat steel bars penetrated his chest.
A second worker who was waiting in a steel cutting area went to check on the first worker when he didn't arrive as planned with the bundle. That's when emergency workers were called to the scene.
Federal workplace safety officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were at the warehouse Monday morning, Enterline said.
The forklift had a roof and metal caging around the driver's seat, to provide rollover protection, but the front was not enclosed. The forklift is situated off the side of the machine instead of the front to be able to pull the bundles from the shelving.
Each steel bundle can be 20 feet long and weigh several tons.
The company operates around the clock in three shifts to transform steel into springs used for vehicle undercarriages.
Other workers were sent home after the accident, Enterline said.
"It's a tragic situation," he said.
Officials from Dayton Parts declined to comment Monday saying they wanted to respect the privacy of their co-worker and his family.