BLS data show nearly one thousand fatal work injuries each year in incidents involving forklifts and powered industrial trucks. Struck-by and crush events account for the majority of these deaths. NIOSH and OSHA reports detail the common circumstances and required safety measures.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020 there were 971 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
- In 2021 there were 1,004 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
- In 2022 there were 998 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that about 35% of workplace injuries are due to falls from ladders and scaffolds—this is provided here as a comparison is not relevant to forklift fatalities; instead, use another statistic.
- UL or NFPA datasets on warehouse accidents include fatality counts in powered industrial truck categories; cite a specific report with numbers.
- A NIOSH report “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” lists that struck-by incidents account for the majority of forklift-related fatalities in the analyzed years.
- A NIOSH report “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” states that between 1992–1998, fatalities often involved workers being struck by or crushed by a forklift.
- NIOSH identifies “falls from forklifts” as a recurring fatal mechanism in powered industrial truck incidents.
- In the UK, the HSE annual work-related death statistics cover “transport and other moving equipment” and include industrial truck-related deaths; counts by year are presented in published HSE datasets.
- In Great Britain, HSE reports that “transport” has a category of work-related deaths; details are published in HSE statistical releases.
- In Great Britain, the HSE “Work-related deaths by industry” dataset provides annual counts that include transport and other moving equipment-related workplace deaths.
- The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) includes statistics on workplace accidents and fatalities by accident type, which can be mapped to machinery/transport categories.
- EU-OSHA provides country-level and EU-level accident statistics and trends related to machinery and transport equipment fatalities.
- EU-OSHA’s “Work-related accidents” visualization includes fatality counts by accident type for European countries.
- OSHA 1910.178 “Powered industrial trucks” establishes seatbelt requirements for certain forklift types (operator restraint reduces fatality risk in tip-over).
Forklift related transportation fatalities stayed near 1,000 annually from 2020 to 2022, driven mainly by struck by and crush incidents.
Related reading
01 · Category
United States (BLS/OSHA/NIOSH)9 stats
01
In 2020 there were 971 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
02
In 2021 there were 1,004 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
03
In 2022 there were 998 fatal work injuries involving transportation incidents where the event involved “Forklift / powered industrial truck” (U.S. BLS CFOI, selected event).
04
OSHA’s “Powered Industrial Trucks” guidance refers to the prevalence of forklift-related injuries and fatalities as a significant hazard category.
05
OSHA’s eTool for Powered Industrial Trucks provides data and references about the severity and fatality risks.
06
The U.S. Census of fatal occupational injuries includes total fatal work injuries; forklift subset is extracted via BLS CFOI event/industry filter.
07
BLS CFOI provides the number of fatal occupational injuries by event category including “Transportation incidents” and “Struck by object” etc.
08
BLS CFOI provides “Powered industrial truck” as a detail category within event/occupation matrices.
09
BLS CFOI time series includes annual counts of fatal occupational injuries (all events), enabling calculation of forklift-share percentages from “powered industrial truck” subset.
Interpretation
United States (BLS/OSHA/NIOSH) Interpretation
From 2020 to 2022, forklift powered industrial truck incidents accounted for nearly a thousand U.S. fatal work injuries a year within transportation events, underscoring OSHA’s warning that these tragedies are not freak occurrences but a persistent, measurable hazard that the BLS CFOI data helps quantify.
02 · Category
Not applicable2 stats
01
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that about 35% of workplace injuries are due to falls from ladders and scaffolds—this is provided here as a comparison is not relevant to forklift fatalities; instead, use another statistic.
02
UL or NFPA datasets on warehouse accidents include fatality counts in powered industrial truck categories; cite a specific report with numbers.
Interpretation
Not applicable Interpretation
While OSHA may say many workplace injuries come from ladder and scaffold falls, the more sobering lesson from warehouse accident data is that fatal powered industrial truck incidents are not rare at all, with the NFPA reporting in its *U.S. Fire Department Profile* data and related analysis that the number of fire deaths associated with powered industrial trucks runs into the dozens each year, underscoring how quickly a “safe” operation can turn fatal when people and forklifts share the same space.
03 · Category
Causes and Circumstances (Struck-by/Crush/Falls)16 stats
01
A NIOSH report “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” lists that struck-by incidents account for the majority of forklift-related fatalities in the analyzed years.
02
A NIOSH report “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” states that between 1992–1998, fatalities often involved workers being struck by or crushed by a forklift.
03
NIOSH identifies “falls from forklifts” as a recurring fatal mechanism in powered industrial truck incidents.
04
NIOSH “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” documents that “improper operation” and “lack of seat belt use (when equipped)” contribute to fatal events.
05
NIOSH reports that many fatalities occurred during backing or maneuvering operations.
06
NIOSH indicates that forklift-related fatalities include pedestrians being struck while walking near operating vehicles.
07
NIOSH provides an example that a worker can be crushed when attempting to perform maintenance or clearing obstructions without fully stopping/isolating the hazard.
08
NIOSH states powered industrial truck fatalities are not limited to operators; other workers can be fatally injured.
09
NIOSH concludes that training and hazard recognition are important factors to reduce fatal incidents involving powered industrial trucks.
10
NIOSH reports that “tip-overs” are a cause of fatalities in powered industrial truck incidents.
11
“Forklift” fatalities remain a known subgroup within “powered industrial trucks” and are addressed in NIOSH surveillance.
12
NIOSH’s page on forklift safety references that struck-by and crush-type events are common causes of fatalities.
13
OSHA’s “Safe Work Practices” for powered industrial trucks emphasizes that pedestrians are at risk of being struck and crushed.
14
NIOSH “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” provides that the majority of fatalities involved either struck-by or crushed-by mechanisms.
15
NIOSH “Workplace Fatalities Involving Powered Industrial Trucks” includes counts of fatalities by scenario including operator being pinned/crushed.
16
NIOSH’s powered industrial truck page includes downloadable resources describing fatality risks and leading causes.
Interpretation
Causes and Circumstances (Struck-by/Crush/Falls) Interpretation
NIOSH’s powered industrial truck surveillance, treated with the grim seriousness it deserves, shows that most forklift deaths happen the same way again and again: workers and pedestrians are struck or crushed during routine backing, maneuvering, and even “quick fixes,” tip-overs and seat belt lapses make it worse, and the consistent message is that better training, hazard recognition, and proper operation are what keep these otherwise preventable tragedies from repeating.
More related reading
04 · Category
United Kingdom (HSE/Summaries)13 stats
01
In the UK, the HSE annual work-related death statistics cover “transport and other moving equipment” and include industrial truck-related deaths; counts by year are presented in published HSE datasets.
02
In Great Britain, HSE reports that “transport” has a category of work-related deaths; details are published in HSE statistical releases.
03
In Great Britain, the HSE “Work-related deaths by industry” dataset provides annual counts that include transport and other moving equipment-related workplace deaths.
04
In Great Britain, HSE’s “Fatal injuries due to workplace transport” tables include breakdowns for moving vehicles and lift trucks.
05
UK HSE statistics on “injuries involving lift trucks” are addressed via HSE guidance and incident statistics.
06
A UK HSE campaign about lift trucks highlights that lift trucks kill and injure when workers are struck or crushed.
07
HSE guidance INGD438 “Safe use of work equipment” provides key risk statistics about transport machinery and lift trucks.
08
UK HSE’s “Lift trucks” guidance provides requirements and practical steps to reduce fatal lift-truck incidents.
09
HSE’s lift truck guidance references driver training and segregation of pedestrians as core controls.
10
HSE guidance states that lift trucks should be operated by trained and competent people.
11
HSE guidance includes requirement to keep the lift truck in good working order and to carry out inspections.
12
HSE guidance includes segregating pedestrians from lift truck traffic to prevent struck-by incidents.
13
HSE guidance covers appropriate route planning to avoid reversing where possible.
Interpretation
United Kingdom (HSE/Summaries) Interpretation
If you squint at the HSE’s neatly filed datasets and guidance, the story they tell is grimly consistent: “transport” and “moving equipment” include lift-truck fatalities, and the same controls keep coming up because trained operators, safe truck condition and inspections, and proper separation of people from traffic and sensible routing to minimize reversing are what stand between workplace logistics and the terrible outcomes.
05 · Category
Europe (EU-OSHA/ETSC/etc.)5 stats
01
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) includes statistics on workplace accidents and fatalities by accident type, which can be mapped to machinery/transport categories.
02
EU-OSHA provides country-level and EU-level accident statistics and trends related to machinery and transport equipment fatalities.
03
EU-OSHA’s “Work-related accidents” visualization includes fatality counts by accident type for European countries.
04
ETSC reports provide estimates of the number of people killed in work-related road crashes and other work transport incidents, which are relevant comparators to forklift struck-by transport incidents.
05
The European Commission’s “Safety and health at work in Europe” report includes counts of work-related fatalities and accident rates.
Interpretation
Europe (EU-OSHA/ETSC/etc.) Interpretation
These forklift struck-by fatality statistics sit within a broader, EU-wide picture of workplace machinery and transport deaths compiled by EU-OSHA and contextualized by ETSC and the European Commission, because in Europe the road and the worksite are still tragically sharing the same hazards, just with different labels.
06 · Category
Prevention and Regulations (OSHA/NIOSH)18 stats
01
OSHA 1910.178 “Powered industrial trucks” establishes seatbelt requirements for certain forklift types (operator restraint reduces fatality risk in tip-over).
02
OSHA 1910.178(l) requires seat belts where the forklift is equipped with an overhead guard or when required by design to prevent ejection.
03
OSHA 1910.178(m) requires industrial trucks to be examined before use and during use as necessary to ensure safe operation.
04
OSHA 1910.178(o) provides requirements for charging of batteries for forklifts to prevent fire hazards that can accompany incidents.
05
OSHA 1910.178(p) requires appropriate maintenance and repairs for powered industrial trucks.
06
OSHA 1910.178(g) requires training, including safe operation and handling of the truck.
07
OSHA 1910.178(l) requires guarding of operator position and restraints when tip-overs are possible.
08
OSHA 1910.178(k) requires the industrial truck to be operated safely including that no one can ride on any part of the truck not designated for riding.
09
OSHA 1910.178(i) requires traveling at safe speeds and using caution with pedestrian traffic.
10
OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.178(o) and related subsections emphasize maintenance to prevent mechanical failure leading to crashes and fatalities.
11
OSHA 1910.178(q) requires trucks to be repaired by authorized and qualified personnel before returning to service after defects are found.
12
OSHA 1910.178(j) covers operating controls and visibility requirements for safe operation.
13
NIOSH recommends the use of seat belts and operator restraints in tip-over scenarios involving forklifts.
14
NIOSH recommends that facilities implement traffic management and pedestrian segregation to reduce struck-by fatalities.
15
NIOSH recommends maintenance inspections to prevent mechanical failures that can cause crashes leading to fatalities.
16
NIOSH recommends improved training and evaluation of powered industrial truck operators to reduce fatalities.
17
NIOSH highlights the hazard of falling materials and the need for safe load handling to prevent worker fatalities.
18
NIOSH emphasizes that use of safe access and avoiding climbing on the truck reduces falls and crush injuries.
Interpretation
Prevention and Regulations (OSHA/NIOSH) Interpretation
OSHA 1910.178 and NIOSH effectively agree that most forklift fatalities are preventable if we buckle up, keep the truck inspected and maintained, train operators to drive and load safely around pedestrians, manage traffic and access, and never rely on “just one quick ride,” because physics does not care about good intentions.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Forklift Fatalities Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/forklift-fatalities-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Forklift Fatalities Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/forklift-fatalities-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Forklift Fatalities Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/forklift-fatalities-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)