Texas Tire Distributor Faces $288K Fine After Forklift Operator’s Death

A U.S. Department of Labor investigation revealed that proper workplace safety training and correct storage of pallets taller than 16 feet could have prevented the fatal injuries suffered by a forklift operator at a tire distribution center in Elm Mott, Texas.

Responding to the June 2024 incident at Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. Inc.’s distribution center, inspectors with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found widespread safety failures that exposed dozens of employees to potentially serious and deadly injuries.

Mitchell Industrial Tire faces $288,299 in proposed penalties.

OSHA inspectors learned the forklift operator was struck by a falling pallet of industrial truck 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. The company was cited for 12 violations, including failing to properly train forklift drivers and improperly storing unbanded pallets higher than 16-feet.

Founded in 1953, Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. Inc. manufactures solid tires for the material handling industry at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, facility and has three U.S. distribution centers.