Fork and Lift Truck Safety: Awareness, Precautions, and Tips

Matt Nieszczur Mighty Line | Mighty Line Safety Floor Tape | Mighty Line's Safety Talk and Toolbox Talk Topics | Safety Floor Tape in the News
02/06/2023 3:59pm 6 minute read

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In the last episode, we spoke about rack safety. The second half of that episode covered fork and lift truck safety. There’s an old sales adage that states, a customer must be exposed to a product or service 7 times or more before they’re willing to purchase. With social media, and changes within sales and marketing, that more than likely has changed. However, the point of that saying is that sometimes you need to hear something several times before it sinks in. So in today’s episode, we’re going to cover Fork and Lift Truck Safety – just a little bit more.

Statistics

In addition to wanting the information and the importance of the information to sink in,it’s very important to point out some of the statistics surrounding this topic. According to OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration), fork and lift trucks account for dozens of deaths and thousands of serious injuries per year. Well over a third of those deaths are caused from fork and lift trucks tipping over and crushing the driver. Although there are certainly cases where it didn’t help, the very first way to avoid this happening is by wearing the proper safety belts and harnesses while operating fork and lift trucks.

The Best Precaution is Awareness and Preparation

Do you see a bit of a trend here? Most of these injuries and deaths could be avoided. Before ever getting on or operating a tow or lift truck, be certain that you’ve taken and know all the required safety training to operate the equipment. Most importantly, employ your training in your day to day actions, and make sure your co-workers are doing the same. If you don’t know or something seems incorrect, consult a supervisor.

Tips For Loading/Unloading Cargo

Facilities with loading docks have one of the higher incident rates among fork and lift trucks. These areas are a whirl of hive-like activity. When in these areas, you have several things you need to be paying attention to. To start off, again, be sure to be wearing the proper safety belts and harnesses. Next, pay extra close attention to the safety signs, floor markings, and lights directing you where and when it’s safe to proceed. Pay attention to your surroundings by making sure there’s no debris, improperly placed materials, or slick conditions (due to oil or water). Before attempting to enter a truck, make sure you pay attention to the following:

Make sure you have your lights on and can see in front of you.
Use your horn going in and out of trucks to assure people know you’re present.
Look to make sure there are no people and/or other Fork and Lift Trucks already in the truck.
Make sure you have your forks high enough to avoid pushing your pallets along the ground, but low enough to see over it.

Allowing pallets to drag damages both the pallets and the floor markings. In addition, having them too high also means your mast is probably heightened, which puts you at risk of hitting the top of the truck or dock door.

Before pulling up into a truck, check to make sure the truck is completely pulled into docks and has brakes/locks applied. Also, ensure the dock doors are completely up.
Pay attention to placement of product to assure everything is safe and secure, not just for the product, but for the driver as well.
And as mentioned in the first part of this Podcast -if you don’t know or something seems incorrect – consult a supervisor.

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Information from Warehouse Safety Tips!

If you’re a seasoned Podcast Listener – this podcast is going to be different from most you listen to. It’s based around exactly what the name implies – Warehouse Safety Tips. And since the people in this industry are busy, we understand that time is money. Because of this, each episode will be as short and to the point as possible. You can find the show notes to each episode, links to information mentioned on the podcast, the social media platforms we’re on, and anything else related to the podcast at WarehouseSafteyTips.com

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