Safety Awareness for Forklift Equipment

Safe forklift operation must be taken seriously. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) places annual U.S. work-related forklift injury numbers in the tens of thousands. Added property damage costs often accompany these incidents.

Federal Law

• OSHA has set federal regulations for forklift operation. It is against the law to operate a forklift for persons under age 18 and for untrained and uncertified persons over age 18.

Qualifications

• Operators must have a valid driver's license with a clean driving record. Avoid operators with vision or hearing problems, neurological disorders, restricting physical disabilities and who are taking medication that may impair driving. The Texas State Office of Risk Management (SORM) recommends retraining and performance reevaluation once every three years.

Inspection

• Examine forklifts each day, or before each shift, for safety issues. Do not use until problems are fixed. Check the controls, brakes, lights, filters, horns, seat belts, fork movement, fluid levels and safety features. Look for fluid leakage. Have forklifts fixed by authorized personnel only with manufacturer-recommended parts.

Safety Features

• Each forklift must contain a seatbelt or some type of restraint system, a loud operator-functioning horn, an automatic backup horn and a portable fire extinguisher. If there is danger of falling objects, an overhead guard must protect the driver.

Operation

• There are many types of forklifts. Refer to the manufacturer manual for full safety procedures. Standard operating guidelines include gradual starting and stopping; driving at safe, slow speeds; providing enough distance between vehicles; turning slowly and gradually; following load capacity limits; being aware of surroundings at all times; and maintaining safe distances from edges of docks, ramps and other platforms.