A forklift operator at Boston’s Logan International Airport has been fined $46,096 by the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for four serious work-related violations. The investigation was initiated following the death of an employee working for the company in August.

According to a DOL news release, an investigation into Oxford Airport Technical Services, a Rochester-based maintenance company, revealed that they did not provide adequate protection for forklift maintenance. The incident in question took place on Aug. 29, 2023 when an employee operating a forklift struck an overhang entrance with the vehicle’s mast and forks. The employee, who was not wearing a seatbelt, fell onto the floor and was killed when the forklift toppled over him.

"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, Massachusetts. "In this case, the employer failed to train and certify their forklift operators on critical safety requirements. It’s simply inexcusable."

The OSHA investigators discovered that all forklift operators were not properly trained and certified. Furthermore, a damaged forklift was not examined before being placed in service and was not taken out of service. The forks and mast of the forklift were raised more than necessary to clear the road surface. Additionally, Oxford Airport Technical Services failed to ensure that the employee was utilizing a seatbelt which could have prevented his death during the rollover accident.

According to the news release, Oxford Airport Technical Services now has 15 business days to pay the fine or request a meeting with OSHA’s area director or ask the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission - an independent government entity separate from OSHA or DOL - to review the case.