Avoid Forklift Injury with an Effective Health and Safety Plan

Avoid Forklift Injury with an Effective Health and Safety PlanThe forklift is a common piece of equipment found in most factories, warehouses and industrial sites. At last count, more than 850,00 were in operation in the U.S.

It requires trained and skilled drivers. More than 20,000 workers are injured in forklift accidents and 85 killed each year. Using and enforcing a health and safety plan can prevent most of these.

A forklift is officially defined as a powered industrial truck, and there is a lot of variation within the species. Most accidents involving this type of vehicle can be traced to five causes:

  • no training, too little training or ineffective training
  • speeding
  • not following safe operating procedures
  • not enforcing the rules
  • badly maintained equipment

Most injuries to drivers and pedestrians occur when the forklift is accidentally driven off the loading dock, the forklift falls in the space between the loading dock and the trailer, a forklift runs into a person, or a person falls off the tines or on pallets that are being elevated by the forklift.

Reasons for Injuries

There are three main types of accidents that result in injuries. The leading one is tip-overs. When this heavy piece of equipment starts to tip, the natural reaction of the driver is to jump. Unfortunately, this often results in his being crushed by the truck.50 things you must know about safety leadership

The main way to prevent a tip-over is to keep the speed low and reduce it even further before turning. The operator needs to be skilled at keeping the load stable by lowering the forks and keeping them in a tilted position.

Irresponsible driving is the second leading reason accidents happen. Health and safety plan rules against reckless driving need to be enforced in these cases.

Pedestrians getting in the way of the forklift is the third major reason injuries occur. The driver needs to watch the area in which the forklift is moving–which is often in reverse. Honking the horn at intersections, just like on the highway, alerts workers in the area. Using another worker as a spotter when visibility is blocked is essential in preventing accidents.

OSHA Rules

The first and most important OSHA regulation says all operators must be adequately trained to operate a forklift. This includes how to spot hazards and avoid them. Any worker who even occasionally uses a forklift is required to get the training.

The competency of each operator needs to be re-evaluated every three years. Refresher courses are mandatory for drivers who cause, or almost cause, accidents.

Skills Needed

fctc-online-bannerA safe forklift operator needs good judgement. Operators routinely estimate the weight of a load, as well as the height and width, so they can figure out if it will fit into a designated area. Making turns and moving safely around obstacles is part of the daily regimen. The driver needs to exercise common sense to find an alternate route if the primary route is too steep an incline to negotiate a heavy load.

Good hand-eye coordination and the ability to concentrate are essential so the operator can react immediately if a load looks like it might fall. S/he should follow a checklist before each use to ensure that the brakes, lights and steering are in good condition.

~Mary Hannick

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About the Author

SBI
safetyBUILT-IN is the safety-leadership learning and development division of SCInc. We believe sustainable safety performance is best achieved through a core-values based safety culture, and that culture must be driven by leadership. Our safety-leadership programs are competency-based, and focused on performance outcomes. We believe in building capability and ownership into our client organizations—as well as sustainability into our programs—so that our clients can continue running those programs long after we’re out of the picture. Our emphasis is on building better leadership presence, better leadership communication and better leadership coaching by first building relationships of trust with people and learning how to engage them on the level of their core values and beliefs.