Falling Pallet of Tires Kills Forklift Operator at Mitchell Industrial Tire — $288K in Fines
FORT WORTH — A forklift operator at a tire distribution center in Elm Mott, Texas never stood a chance when a pallet of industrial truck tires came down on him from a failed storage rack. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the June 2024 fatality found that Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. Inc.’s safety failures went far beyond one bad rack — and left the company facing $288,299 in proposed penalties.
The Incident
OSHA inspectors learned the forklift operator was struck by a falling pallet of tires after the pallet’s three-tier rack storage system failed. The system’s vertical supports were damaged and the horizontal beam locks were missing — a collapse waiting for a trigger. Investigators concluded that proper workplace safety training and correct storage of pallets taller than 16 feet could have prevented the operator’s death.
The Investigation
Responding to the incident, OSHA found widespread safety failures that exposed dozens of employees to potentially serious and deadly injuries. The company was cited for 12 violations — one willful and 11 serious — including failing to properly train forklift drivers and improperly storing unbanded pallets higher than 16 feet.
Damaged uprights and missing beam locks don’t appear overnight. They’re the kind of slow-building unsafe conditions that routine rack inspections are designed to catch — if anyone is looking.
OSHA’s Stance
“Neglecting to train forklift operators properly can lead to devastating consequences, as seen at Mitchell Industrial Tire,” said OSHA Area Director Timothy Minor in Fort Worth, Texas. “The company must comply with safety requirements to protect workers from the many hazards present in warehouses and manufacturing facilities, in line with industry best practices and federal regulations designed to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.”
Founded in 1953, Mitchell Industrial Tire manufactures solid tires for the material handling industry in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and runs three U.S. distribution centers. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Lessons to Take Home
Every warehouse has two hazards hiding in plain sight: what’s stored overhead and who’s operating the equipment below. Take the lesson to your own floor — inspect racking for bent uprights, missing locks, and overloaded beams; keep tall pallet stacks banded and within design limits; and verify every forklift operator’s training is current, not just filed away. Proper storage and staging practices are just as much a life-safety issue in a warehouse as they are in a yard.
Above all, teach your crew to think about where gravity and stored energy can reach them. Our talk on line-of-fire hazards is the perfect place to start.
