Wilsonville, OR- A worker was killed in what authorities say appears to be a workplace accident at the Swire Coca-Cola facility in Wilsonville.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said a loaded pallet fell on the man and he was dead when first responders arrived. The incident happened between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified and a medical examiner is investigating. Pallets can lead to injuries such as puncture wounds, sprained ankles, broken toes, or worse. If used for a nonapproved purpose, such as a man lift, the result could be tragic. With roughly 2 billion pallets circulating in the United States, it serves material handlers to take some basic precautionary steps and training to avoid injury. Companies should also make sure a strong Lockout Tagout program has been developed and is established.
Swire Coca-Cola released a statement regarding the incident:
“We are deeply saddened that a fatality occurred at our Wilsonville facility on Friday. We can confirm next of kin have been informed. Our production and warehouse remains closed as we work with the relevant authorities to investigate this tragic incident. We have support available to the family and our employees and we send our deepest sympathies to all those affected.”
The worker who was killed has been identified, authorities said, as Brian Willison, a 47-year-old Hillsboro resident.
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