Need safety advice

[Wyatt Daniel]

How to avoid Forklift disasters? Need precautionary measures?

 

[square1]

Basis, IIRC from 30+ years ago:
Know your trucks' limits / know your loads' weight
Keep load low while moving to greatest extent possible
Loads should be secure so they can't shift on the forks or within their packaging
Loading docks should have barriers when not in use
Loading onto / off of trailers - trailer is secured, ramp / bridge is in place & can't shift, coming off trailer make sure trailer has not pulled away from dock
Keep track of mast if moving with load elevated
SLOW DOWN!

I'm certain there are more but those will probably avoid 90% of the pitfalls

 

[Baby Grand]

Watch your mast height when entering buildings and around trees.
Try to do all lifting on level, flat, hard surfaces.
Don't drive out of a box car.
No horsin' around!

 

[HillStreet]

How to avoid Forklift disasters? Need precautionary measures?

Google "OSHA 1910.178"

That will give you lots of information, also has an appendix with further information.

 

[JerriC]

Every forklift operator should undergo some form of training before ever getting behind the controls of a machine. OSHA requires that employers ensure that their employees have this training. There is a website for Heavy Equipment Online Training | Courses and Classes which will provide all the necessary safety and operational training you will need for forklift operation, without ever having to step inside a classroom. If you want to avoid hazardous accidents as much as possible, such training is a must!

 

[paulharvey]

Every forklift operator should undergo some form of training before ever getting behind the controls of a machine. OSHA requires that employers ensure that their employees have this training. There is a website for Heavy Equipment Online Training | Courses and Classes which will provide all the necessary safety and operational training you will need for forklift operation, without ever having to step inside a classroom. If you want to avoid hazardous accidents as much as possible, such training is a must!

In my experience "trained" operators are some of the worst. You need experience, not a class. To get experience you simply "have at it". If it feels a bit tippy, then it is. If you go slow and careful, it's very simple. It's a forklift, not a space shuttle. Same goes for pretty much all heavy equipment. Of all the equipment operators I know/worked with (100s) not a single good operator learned his trade in one oof the "operators schools" you see advertised.

 

[square1]

It's a forklift, not a space shuttle. Same goes for pretty much all heavy equipment. Of all the equipment operators I know/worked with (100s) not a single good operator learned his trade in one oof the "operators schools" you see advertised.

When the Insurance Company for shop I worked in insisted our lift truck operators be safety certified I aced the test without taking the class. Because of t hat, the shop decided that I would be the one to certify the rest of the operators. There are some folks without a lick of common sense that should take a class. Those same folk really should find employment other than equipment operators

 

[jaotguy]

back down ramps , do not drive down forward ...

no riders other than the driver.

fully inspect the unit before using it each day .....

LOOK in the direction you are moving at all times ....

 

[Mace Canute]

In my experience "trained" operators are some of the worst. You need experience, not a class. To get experience you simply "have at it". If it feels a bit tippy, then it is. If you go slow and careful, it's very simple. It's a forklift, not a space shuttle. Same goes for pretty much all heavy equipment. Of all the equipment operators I know/worked with (100s) not a single good operator learned his trade in one oof the "operators schools" you see advertised.

People who just "have at it' tend to be those people who are otherwise known in accident reports as "statistics".

 

[texasjohn]

Never know, he might have meant "have at it while being very careful."

 

[JerriC]

In my experience "trained" operators are some of the worst. You need experience, not a class. To get experience you simply "have at it". If it feels a bit tippy, then it is. If you go slow and careful, it's very simple. It's a forklift, not a space shuttle. Same goes for pretty much all heavy equipment. Of all the equipment operators I know/worked with (100s) not a single good operator learned his trade in one oof the "operators schools" you see advertised.

The technological advances in heavy equipment have been numerous over the past few years, and "even a forklift" is no longer as simple a machine as some may think. Also, the standards and regulations set forth by OSHA and other regulatory agencies mandate some form of classroom training. That is why I recommended Heavy Equipment Online Training | Courses and Classes They know what the newest regulations are and can help an employer get their employees up to speed. It's a lot easier to get insurance on your machine when you can show that you are compliant with standards.

 

[jhlittle]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oB6DN5dYWo#

That's how I learned about forklift safety

 

[k0ua]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-oB6DN5dYWo#

That's how I learned about forklift safety

OMG!.. that was hilarious! In a gruesome sort of black humor way!

 

[Tollster]

One I did not see is to always wear the seat belt. Almost 75-80% of fatality's using forklift are crushing deaths, and the cage will almost always trap a portion of you if you're ejected...

 

[jaotguy]

looks like they shot that at the last place I worked ..... except they missed the

"driving into the loading bay doors when they were closed"

"driving into the building with the mast fully extended ... 144" loading door and 180" mast " ,

fully extending the mast inside the building ... 180" mast and a 140" ceiling .

using the forks to press the door opening button on the wall ...

lifting a pallet that lifted the rear wheels off the ground, solved the problem by getting 4 guys to hang off the back to counterweight it ...

daily maintenance check was " turn the key , did it start ? OK use it "

 

[melizaarora]

Here are some precautions you may want to consider to avoid forklift accidents:

*Separate the pedestrian and forklift traffic by creating selected walkways.
*Make sure operators have gone through OSHA approved operator training
*Make sure to perform inspections on the forklifts regularly.
*Ensure the area has no obstructions. Pick up loose paper, trash, shrink wrap
*Use the forklift horn near corners, doorways, and narrow passages. Make it a rule and enforce it, horns are really a low tech but very effective way of avoiding accidents.
*Limit forklift speed
*Do not overload the forklift in such a way that it covers up the driver's view.

Check out blue forklift safety light too, helps pedestrians see oncoming traffic especially since most people stare at the ground when walking Intellaliftparts

 

[Dave M7040]

Keep hands off the roll bar or safety cage. Many people grab the roll bar when backing up and get their hands crushed when the get too close to something.
Dave M7040

 

[kencunningham]

Wear you seatbealt at all time and be mindfull of the center of gravity of the lift. When a forklift is unloaded it is in the most unstable condition. The front tires and rear pivot point dictate the area that the center of gravity should stay in. If the center of gravity moves outside of this triangle, you will have a tip over. Notice how the center of gravity is in the very narrow part of the triangle. When you make a turn the center of gravity will shift to the side that the front of the steer tire is facing. When you have a load on the forks the center of gravity moves toward the dive axle where the triangle is wider, that is why it is more dangerous to make turns with a unloaded lift. This triangle also extends vertically, since the center of gravity is above the horizontal plane of the pivot point, this causes the triangular area to become smaller as it extends upward. That is why you should never make turns on non flat areas, if you do need to turn remember to turn in the downhill direction.

 

[HillStreet]

A lot of operators underestimate the danger of forklifts. These are 8000 and 10000 pound machines and larger. I remember an accident in New England about 15 years ago: an operator accidentally drove the machine off a loading dock, stood up and told onlookers "I'm OK", then dropped dead on the spot from his crushing injuries. Nothing to fool with.

 

[grm61]

Also, watch for raised steel plates etc when traveling...wear your seat belt....make sure the forks are far enough off the ground to clear these.
Hit one of these immovable objects with the forks with no seat belt you will be thrown into the steering wheel, and maybe clear out into the mast.
If you get into the seat, put your seat belt on, even if you were just going to move a few feet, its a habit that will save your life.

If you tip one over hang on to the wheel, don't put your arm out, it will be crushed.

Don't raise the mast up high and tip it way forward, there are some machines that will tilt quite a ways forward, and even with no load, with the mast up high and tilted forward, will go nose over just from the weight of the mast.