Improving workplace health & safety through collaboration

Articles Forklift Safety Procedures

Forklift Safety Procedures

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin
Article Rating:
Body
Safety procedures for forklifts or powered industrial trucks come from a variety of sources: federal and state laws as well as individual company policies. Typically, forklift safety procedures are based on OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards. The vast majority of these are common sense, but they do require knowledge of the applicable laws and documentation.

General Safety Procedures

Be specific.
According to OSHA, a forklift must be maintained by a daily inspection, once per shift, prior to operation. In additional, only qualified technicians may make any major corrections or maintenance. When operating a forklift, all drivers must be made aware of tight corners, pedestrians and hazards in the workplace. Seat belts, if supplied by the manufacturer, must be worn and not removed. All drivers should stop, sound the horn and look for traffic or pedestrians when entering or exiting a building.

Site-Specific Considerations

Train employees.
In the workplace, specific hazards may affect forklift operation in particular places of use. Among these are operating in the presence of flammables or combustibles, near equipment or machinery and in roadways. Part of establishing safe procedures is to do a hazard analysis of the workplace to find these conditions. Drivers who operate near any of these conditions will need training on the additional hazards as part of forklift compliance.



Safe Procedures Mean Safe Drivers

Look for hazards.
OSHA's most frequently cited violation is lack of training of operators. Safe procedures mean training of all operators before they begin work on forklifts. New employees should never be allowed to operate one without training, even if they have been trained elsewhere. Forklift laws are site specific to the place of operation and equipment used. In addition, all employees must be retrained at least every three years. A written program with a policy in place and a copy of the OSHA forklift law (29CFR 1910.147) must be available on site, as well. Remember to document all training. Never allow a worker under 18 or one who is impaired to operate a forklift; it's a violation of federal law to do so.



  • kk751176aa08b96c91b00afae97adf8d89.jpg

References
Categories
Article Rating

This article has been read 1128 times.

DISCLAIMER: All contents published on this website is for informational purposes only. In as much as we encourage write-ups to be originally written by the claimed authors, we might not be able to control those who will try to copy articles from other authors/writers. In view of the above, the owner and management of Safetyhow.com will not be liable for any loses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of the contents herein. Likewise, the owner and management will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information stated. Furthermore, we highly recommend that any form of plagiarism or libel committed as a result or implication of the articles written by any specific author in this platform be reported to us immediately so that appropriate action will be given.

BROWSE ARTICLE BY CATEGORY

BROWSE ARTICLE BY INDUSTRY