Category: Forklifts

Few workplace machines are as useful as the forklift … or as dangerous. Some 100 workers are killed, and 20,000 injured, each year in forklift-related accidents. Here are the materials you need to legally train your employees in safe forklift operation, and to keep current with the latest developments in forklift and industrial truck safety.

Free Special Report: The 5 Deadly Forklift Dangers

Your Forklift Operators: Adequately Trained?

Forklifts are the workhorses of industry. They’re essential to efficient material-handling operations. But forklifts are also big, dangerous, and potentially deadly pieces of equipment. To protect employees, you need strict rules and a comprehensive training and evaluation program. Preventing forklift accidents is within the reach of any forklift safety program. What you need is: A […]

Fatal Mix—Forklifts and Young Workers

Young workers are involved in a disproportionate number of forklift accidents. Lack of training, inexperience, and risk taking are all culprits in these accidents. But they are no excuse. Federal laws and regulations require you to protect your young workers and prevent forklift-related incidents. OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard (29 CFR 1910.178) requires you to […]

Well-Trained Operators = Safe Forklift Operations

Forklift accidents are costly in both human and economic terms. But those are costs you won’t have to pay if you train your forklift operators to recognize hazards and follow proper operating procedures. Most accidents with forklifts involve pedestrians. The most common hazards include: Having an obstructed view—the operator cannot see the pedestrian because of […]

Forklifts: 7 Tips for Keeping Workers Safe

Most workplaces couldn’t do without forklifts. But they certainly could do without forklift accidents and the resulting injuries. These tips can help keep both forklift operators and pedestrians safe.  (These tips are provided courtesy of our sister publication, the Cal/OSHA Compliance Advisor) A truck driver from Iowa delivered new light poles to the football field […]

Got Forklift Questions? We’ve Got Answers

OSHA’s Powered Industrial Truck standard (29 CFR 1910.178) establishes safety requirements relating to the design, maintenance, and use of forklifts as well as the training and evaluation of forklift operators. Compliance with the regulations, however, often raises important questions. Here are some that have been fielded by BLR’s safety experts. Does OSHA require a specific […]

Are Your Forklift Operators Due for Retraining?

Yesterday we looked at the growing number of forklift-free workplaces, including some of the advantages they offer and some of the obstacles to a smooth conversion. But most facilities won’t be getting rid of their forklifts any time soon, so today we’ll look at OSHA forklift training requirements and at a tool that will help […]

Is ‘Forklift-Free’ in Your Future?

Forklifts have long been the workhorses of production plants and warehouses, but there is a growing trend toward forklift-free work areas, fueled by proponents’ claims of increased safety, cost savings, and flexibility. It’s hard to picture production plants without forklifts ferrying materials to assembly lines, but that is becoming the case in an increasing number […]

Forklift Safety: Buckle Up—And Train

Forklifts certainly look safe enough, with those sturdy rollover cages surrounding the driver’s area. But those same cages can prove deadly if drivers don’t follow safety procedures; in particular, wearing their seat belts. The National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system found that of the 1,021 forklift-related deaths between 1980 and 1994, 22 percent were […]

Partner with Employees for Forklift Safety

Forklifts are the workhorses of many warehouses, and both employers and forklift operators must do their parts to ensure their safe operation. The forklift is one of a variety of industrial trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines, and it is probably the most widely used in general industry. Requirements for both employers […]

How to Drive Home Forklift Safety Training

Forklifts are an essential part of many industrial operations, but they are also involved in 10 percent of all serious industrial accidents every year. Here’s a way to make your forklift safety training unforgettable. Yesterday’s Daily Advisor explored the many sources of potential accidents and injuries in the warehouse environment, as well as some tips […]