Forklift as Implement of Violence

[Dentarthurdent]

I'm not sure if this should be here, but it was the best spot I could find...

Background info - I work at the orange box. For some reason the site insists that I'm still a Housekeeping Supervisor, even though I updated this info.

I had just gotten to work. My coworker J. was standing with me and a couple of department heads back in receiving, watching our boss, P., using the order picker to put a full pallet on the shelving over the receiving doors (a good 25 feet in the air). P. got the pallet where he wanted it and started backing up the order picker (without bothering to lower the forks). He quickly realized this wasn't going to work, put the pallet back on the shelf, lowered the forks a little, and backed up at high speed, with the back of the mast still about 6-8 inches above the height of the 10-ft. fluorescent light.

We all stared, mouths agape (two more coworkers walked in behind me as this scene unfolded) as P. violently backed the order picker into the overhead lighting. There was a sickening scraping noise and crash, and he KEPT GOING BACKWARDS for several seconds afterward (yeah, I know they don't stop on a dime, but it was like it hadn't even registered in his mind). The light swung violently, shaking huge clouds of dust down from the rafters, but the chains held. J. turned to me and said "Why didn't anybody stop him?" I just stared at him, dumbfounded, and said "I kinda saw it coming, but I thought he would stop." I wasn't going to say "Nobody is THAT DUMB" directly in front of my boss, but damn. The bulbs flickered sickly for a few hours, then went out...

I just started this job a couple of weeks ago and am already worried about my safety...in addition to this, I've seen other coworkers (including J. himself) taking out novelty shelving and driving into the sides of large appliances with heavy equipment, not to mention using a pallet jack like a skateboard...thinking it's time to call the anonymous tip line and give them an earful.

[Ironclad Alibi]

You co-worker needs some remedial forklift driver safety training. I have the perfect training video for him, Staplerfahrer Klaus (might be NSFW).

[Crossbow]

Back at *Long-Dead Computer Megastore* we had one of the warehouse guys drive the forklift through the wall into the repair department. It was really interesting to come into work and see these metal forks sticking out of the drywall at head height....

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Years ago, we had brand new overhead doors installed in the backroom at da swamp.

That very same day, somebody took a big chunk out of one of the doors with the forklift.

Management was very not happy.

Oh, and then there was the time a guy plunged the forklift's forks right through a big-screen TV (this was before flatscreens BTW.).

[PepperElf]

And how would you stop him? Grab the forklift and hold it back?

and off topic:

Housekeeping Supervisor

I read that originally as "Housekeeping Survivor".

[Dentarthurdent]

You co-worker needs some remedial forklift driver safety training. I have the perfect training video for him, Staplerfahrer Klaus (might be NSFW).

That is my favorite safety video of all time. Coworker definitely reminded me of it, too.

[Dentarthurdent]

And how would you stop him? Grab the forklift and hold it back?

and off topic:

I read that originally as "Housekeeping Survivor".

Actually, this post provides evidence for that.

[klhanson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjOvI0TOx98 this will always be my favorite forklift video of all time..

[Chrismor]

Years ago, we had brand new overhead doors installed in the backroom at da swamp.

That very same day, somebody took a big chunk out of one of the doors with the forklift.

Management was very not happy.

Oh, and then there was the time a guy plunged the forklift's forks right through a big-screen TV (this was before flatscreens BTW.).

If we weren't on different sides of the pond I would swear we worked at the same place. Our (at the time) new goods in manager managed to do the same thing with a forklift. I also believe he once rolled a forklift off the loading bay.

I don't think he was all there, personally, though it fit in with the calibre of goods in management they had. Another one of the managers, now retired, was not the kind of person you would want to be around while he was on the forklift. Nice guy, but in later years his eyesight was not as good as it once was.

C.