Port of Los Angeles worker dies after becoming trapped under a forklift

SAN PEDRO, CA - OCTOBER 13: The Port of Los Angeles is backed up with a growing number of incoming cargo ships waiting offshore as the port is set to begin operating around the clock on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 in San Pedro, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. A workers was killed after being pinned under a forklift Monday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

A worker died Monday after becoming trapped under a forklift at the Los Angeles Port, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters responded at 10:39 a.m. to a report of a worker trapped under a forklift at the Los Angeles Port, the fire department said in a statement. Upon arriving, firefighters determined the person had died. No further details were provided about the worker.

The California Department of Industrial Relations, Los Angeles Port Police and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will investigate the incident.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of workers who are dying on the job has been increasing since 2013. In California, more than 500 workers died on the job in 2022, an increased from 2021, when 462 workers died. In 2022, the largest share of those workers who were fatally injured — 26% — were in the transportation and material moving occupations, according to the bureau.

The department has not released data on occupational deaths for 2023.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.