Fork Lift Safety

Fork Lift Safety

The need to take special forklift classes is very apparent to the accidents that occur everyday in the United States.  OHSA has designed classes to teach the importance of safety in the Forklift Industry.  The article below give 15 additional ways that safety precautions can be obtained.  This is a great article, enjoy!

Fifteen Forklift Safety Precautions For Operators

Far too many people are injured and even killed in the United States every year due to forklift accidents. In fact, the injury toll is estimated to be over 34,900 per year with almost 100 of those resulting in death. The statistics aren’t good.

With these facts in mind, fork truck manufacturers have been putting an extra effort into the safety features of their new models; however, that’s only half the battle. There are still thousands of older lift trucks being used every day, and they probably haven’t been equipped with the most modern safety features. Even with new forklifts, driver error is to blame for a majority of accidents. Most accidents could be prevented if operators knew and followed certain forklift safety procedures.

Fifteen precautions that all fork truck drivers must know and follows include:

Never park on an incline. Always wait until you are on a flat surface before you park your truck and leave it.

Never smoke around your forklift. Gas is combustible.

Turn the motor off while refueling.

Check the trailers you pull for security. Don’t rely on others to do the job for you.

Carefully look behind you before you back up.

Wear your seatbelt each and every time your lift is in motion.

Don’t drive over the dock plate until you’ve made certain that it is secure.

Don’t make sharp turns, because you could tip the lift over with you in it.

Keep to the right just as you do when driving your car.

Keep all body parts inside the truck.

Avoid driving with the forks up.

Obey speed limits and any other safety signs that someone has seen the need to post.

If you can’t see over the load you’re carrying, drive in reverse.

Don’t stand under raised forks.

Drive at slower speeds if the surface you’re driving on is wet or oily.

Most of the rules for safe fork truck operation are just common sense, but, tragically, too many people seem to forget them and serious accidents happen. It’s easy to get so comfortable driving on your lift that you don’t always keep your mind on your driving. Always remember, though, that you will be held accountable for any accidents you cause, and your own life is on the line every time you’re working with your forklift.

Find the important information you need about the forklift training you or your employees need. Click Here to find out more.