Powered Industrial Truck Safety
Do you have a Daily Checklist for each your forklifts, reach trucks, skidsteers, bobcats, etc? Are they filled out by someone who has been trained to know what to look for and documented prior to each shift? Yes, every shift must fill one out and if defective to the point of being unsafe, they are to pull the key and put it where? Do your people know this? Do they know that they have the power - with approval from the Supervisor after he/she has confirmed - to take a unit out of service? If not, they should know this as running a unit with potential safety issues is not acceptable.
Between 75-90 deaths, on average, occur each year due to forklift accidents. Over 8000 lost-time injuries also occur due to forklifts. The number one cause of forklift fatalities are due to rollovers which brings to mind this question, do your employees wear seat-belts? If not, why not. I would bet that at least some of those deaths could have been prevented if the operator did all she/he could to stay in the seat. They may get injured, but many of them would survive. It is an OSHA requirement and it will only be done IF YOU DEMAND it. Do they speed around on them? Do they use the horns enough? I have had operators drive right up next to me when I was talking with another employee and never use the horn. If I had taken one step to the left or right, I would have been a statistic. I have seen people go up to talk to the operator and have their feet right under the lift such that any movement would have crushed their feet. Do they know the dangers of a hydraulic fluid leak? These are all things, amongst many others, that you can find at SafetyWithAPassion.com #ITISNEVERTOOBUSYTOBESAFE #complacencyisourenemy It is affordable, efficient, and effective. I almost guarantee you that if you follow what I have in place for training, your workforce will be safer than they are today. Give us a try for five years - as many people as you can at that facility - for $999. You will spend more on coffee in five years than this will cost you. Thank you for your time