Your Forklift Industry Resource
Thousands of people are injured every year in forklift accidents that could be prevented. If you learn proper forklift safety you will know how to operate a forklift to avoid forklift accidents.
Accidents happen without Forklift Safety
Each year, forklift truck accidents account for tens of thousands of severe injuries or deaths across the globe because of a lack of forklift safety. Forklifts are employed all over the world on construction sites and various industrial settings. Fork trucks are typically the most dangerous piece of material handling equipment used in a manufacturing facility, construction site, or storage facility. Forklifts are a tip over risk when moving heavy loads, and are generally fairly fast resulting in many accidents involving fellow workers when proper forklift safety is not observed.
1. A forklift might tip due to uneven or over loading.
2. Unsafe operation resulting in pedestrians getting struck.
3. The load falling due to fast speeds or improper securing.
4. Fork trucks should not be casually used to lift people.
5. Forklifts accidentally get driven off loading docks, especially hazardous when roll-over cages are not present.
6. Using a forklift attachment, a jib boom, they can operate like cranes, but without care this creates a swinging hazard.
7. Improper or no forklift maintenance, including missing or malfunctioning safety devices.
8. Poor operating conditions, like narrow isles, or poor visibility to address loads or see other people – use a spotter.
Many of these issues can be resolved by proper forklift training according to OSHA.
A collage of forklift accidents. Check out the guy that loses his potatoes and the Indians who put the forks into the ground. Hope you get some laughs, but forklift accidents are serious business – not a laughing matter.
Don't let this happen
Forklifts are complicated machines that have become a needed tool for the materials handling business which means forklift safety is more important than ever. Forklift safety is typically neglected since as soon as we get behind the wheel, we forget that it is not a forklift toy. This might sound silly, but it’s one of the most frequent errors when utilizing a forklift. You do not want one of your workers to injure himself since he was racing forklifts with a co-worker in the warehouse. Not only does this kind of lax mentality about forklift safety put you and your workers at risk, but it also puts your expensive equipment and supplies at risk. From both a liability perspective and a monetary perspective, it is advantageous for you to implement forklift safety into your workplace training.
Below is a list of safety precautions that will need to be taken when utilizing a forklift. The list is by no indicates definitive, but it need to act as a guide for you to create off of when implementing or reconsidering your forklift safety program.
1. Set Up A Forklift Training Program
If you do not have the resources to set up a forklift safety program in-house, make certain to have specialists come in and train your workers. You can also look into having your workers enroll in independent forklift classes. Any of the costs you incur setting up a training program will be worth it in the long run since maintaining a secure, and efficient warehouse is invaluable.
2. Do Not Play With The Forklift
This can’t be overemphasized. As I mention above, one of the fundamental difficulties teaching forklift safety is changing the mentality of your workers. You must not treat the forklift as a toy.
3. Ensure the Forklift Operator Is Mentally and Physically Fit
A lot of forklift accidents occur since the forklift operator was tired or sick. You want to make certain that your forklift operators understand that it is okay to let you know if they really feel too sick or too tired to effectively operate the forklift. It is not worth it to let someone who isn’t mentally or physically fit put himself, your workers, and your firm at risk.
4. Maintain Your Forklift
This is another one that is usually overlooked. Make sure to maintain tabs on your regular forklift maintenance and repairs. While the repairs will cost you in the short term, they will be well worth it in the lengthy run because it will help keep the forklift running smoothly and keep your warehouse safe.
5. Gather Feedback From Forklift Operators
Make positive to remain in touch with your forklift operators and listen to their concerns. They most most likely have witnessed some questionable or dangerous warehouse conditions. Even if they haven’t, they surely can still present useful input into what wants to be covered in a forklift safety program.
OSHA estimates that tens of thousands of employees are injured or killed annually due to forklift accidents. OSHA requires all employes to be trained before driving a forklift. Training should include classroom sessions, hands on driving and a driving evaluation.
Forklifts sometimes called Lift Trucks are a common sight in many workplaces, and often make the lifting and transporting of goods and materials much easier and safer. But without good safety practices and procedures in place forklifts can be very dangerous. In fact, forklifts are a leading cause of workplace deaths and injuries. A loaded forklift can weigh many tonnes, and do a lot of damage in the event of an accident. In addition, they are frequently less stable than many other vehicles. This comprehensive forklift safety program covers: •The main causes of Forklift Accidents •Pre-Operational Checks •Operational Checks •Getting on and off •Load Handling •Picking up a load •Setting down a load •Fault discovery •Speed and Stopping Distances •Traffic Management and Pedestrian Traffic The objective of this program is to highlight the importance of operating Forklifts safely and by so doing, increase awareness of the standards for worker responsibility in observing and being active in daily safety procedures.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Steel King reveals its Steel Guard Guard Rail safety system as a solution to staggering forklift injury statistics, which have made pallet rack safety a major concern at plants, warehouses, and distribution centers.
Every year, forklift accidents account for thousands of serious injuries and dozens of deaths in industrial facilities–statistics show that 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 seriously injured yearly in such accidents. OSHA estimates that 95,000 workers suffer injuries involving powered industrial trucks yearly, resulting in lost work time, workers’ compensation claims, and productivity losses.
Installation of heavy-duty steel guardrails is essential to prevent employee injuries, and is probably the best investment an operation can make. “Any company with any sort of industrial traffic greatly benefits from protection of personnel against forklift or other motorized traffic,” says Jay Anderson, president of Steel King industries, a leading manufacturer of material handling systems, warehouse storage systems, pallet rack systems, and flow storage systems. “This would include a broad spectrum of operations, including warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities.”
Strength is a prime concern in the choosing and implementation of guardrails. Steel King’s Steel Guard meets and exceeds requirements for most installations. The company has optimized its protective aspects; its rugged specs include a 14″-high, 3-ribbed design in 11 gauge corrugated steel–the most rigid rail currently available–utilizing 3 bolts at each end for mounting on 4-inch square 1/4-inch thick heavy-duty structural steel columns which are then bolted to the floor.
Savings from installation of rails can’t be underestimated when considering prevention of injuries, worker compensation claims, and lost production time. The return-on-investment extends to prevention of material damage from fork truck collisions with other equipment and merchandise, reducing or eliminating equipment damage and loss, inventory losses and building damage. Rail systems create a visual and physical barrier and protect worker areas, aisles, mezzanines, in-plant offices, building walls, pallet rack aisle ends, conveyors, inventory areas, pedestrian aisles, loading docks, electrical panels, HVAC equipment, and more.
Guard rails are customizable to needed lengths and can be single-rail or double-rail in height. In addition to the standard bolted-to-post system, an optional lift-out/drop-in rail system can maintain accessibility to material or equipment while providing uninterrupted protection.
To optimize strength, different post types are available depending on their utilization. The standard center post is used as an end or interior post; the standard corner post is used to make a 90-degree bend in a run of a railing; a center post with end offset is usually used as an end post where flush design is desired; a center post with side offset can be used as an in-line post where flush design is desired; a reinforcing post is used to reinforce longer rails; and a corner post with standard offset is used to make a 90-degree bend in a run of railing with rail flush to outside of the baseplate.
Steel Guard rails have a prefabricated baseplate and connection holes, and require no on-site cutting, welding, core drilling or painting. All hardware and top caps are included with posts. Systems can be easily installed by facility personnel.
With proper attention to pallet rack safety, Steel King Steel Guard rails are the best investment you can make in prevention of costly damage to both personnel and material in industrial facilities.
Find More Forklift Accidents Press Releases
Plano, TX (PRWEB) August 2, 2010
August 2, 2010 — “Safety training videos protect the well-being of people, property, and productivity,” says Mark Woeppel. “That’s good for any business.” Woeppel is the President and CEO of Pinnacle Strategies, the company behind the just-launched site Safety-Video.com. Safety-Video.com offers a wide range of business-friendly safety training videos addressing health safety, fire safety, forklift safety, road safety, electrical safety, “and other workplace hazards that are costing businesses their profits,” says Woeppel.
Woeppel points to the latest Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index report as evidence. “The report stated that improving workplace safety is a key strategy for managing the nearly $ 52 billion dollars that businesses are currently spending on the direct costs of workplace injuries,” reports Woeppel. He notes that beyond medical expenses, workers’ compensation payments, and costs for legal services in the event of a lawsuit, workplace accidents trigger a range of indirect costs.
These indirect costs include repairs to damaged equipment and property, hiring and training of replacement personnel, as well as costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism that is common in a work site that is considered unsafe. “Safety training videos can be an important factor in reducing these costs through ongoing education.”
On-Demand Training
“Safety is a continuing education process,” observes Woeppel, “but many companies treat it like a one-shot.” He acknowledges that one obstacle to workplace safety training employers have faced in the past is that getting employees in one place, at one time to meet with a trainer meant cutting into productivity. Another impediment was the expense of the one-time training session itself.
“But safety training videos give employers access to on-demand training whenever they need it,” says Woeppel. “They can be used over and over to train groups or individuals.”
Safety training videos from Safety-Video.com were designed to motivate employees to re-dedicate themselves to a safe work environment and stay up-to-the-minute with the latest and best practices for an accident-free workplace. These safety training videos are also valuable when new workers come on board. “They can quickly bring just-hired employees up to speed regarding company practices and procedures,” says Woeppel. “This makes everyone safer.”
“Safety training videos are a wise investment in asset protection,” says Woeppel. “Because they protect the most important business asset of all…human capital.”
For additional information about Safety-Video’s catalogue of safety training videos, to place an order, and to learn more about the company’s free 3-week preview program, please visit http://safety-video.com.
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