Man dies in scissor lift accident

A Minnesota man was found dead in an industrial accident at a north Sioux Falls post office Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews were dispatched at 8 a.m. to the post office at 4801 N. Fourth Ave. An investigation determined that the 58-year-old man was operating an electric lift when he was pinned between the lift and an object attached to the ceiling, according to Sioux Falls police.

The victim was dead at the scene. His name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Police spokesman Sam Clemens said the victim was an employee of an electric company, but he did not know what project the man was working on at the Post Office. Clemens said the victim was operating the lift alone and must have been looking down, as it went up. His head was caught on a pipe of some kind. No other details were given.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and Rural Metro Ambulance also responded to the scene.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to conduct an investigation into the death, said Eric Brooks, assistant director of OSHA's Bismarck Area Office. Inquiries into fatal employee accidents that fall under OSHA's jurisdictional coverage are standard.

Brooks, who wasn't familiar with Tuesday's industrial accident, said OSHA typically wants an investigator on site within 24 hours of an incident that involves a death.

Brooks said workers who use any type of electrical lift need adequate training.

Source: Dalton Walker, Argus Leader