15 Million Reasons to Train Your Forklift Operators

Event planning firm Global Experience Specialists (GES) was recently hit with a $15.2 million jury award in the case of a former worker who was struck by a 58,000 pound forklift.
The worker has had to undergo numerous surgeries, including the amputation of his left heel.
OSHA has cited and settled with the company over numerous violations, including one serious and three willful violations, for a total of $94,000.
The company was able to reduce that amount to $74,000.
An important factor in the jury’s decision was that GES had been cited twice before for failing to properly train and certify its forklift operators, which was the case in this incident.
The jury awarded the worker $12.2 in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.
The worker had originally sought $25 million, and GES countered with an offer of $3.2 million claiming the injury was partly his fault.