Exceeding Forklift Capacity – Forklift Safety Newsletter – May 2015
May 6, 2015
Have you ever been tempted to exceed a forklift’s capacity? Even by just a little bit? In this article we look at the pros and cons of exceeding forklift capacity.
May 6, 2015
Have you ever been tempted to exceed a forklift’s capacity? Even by just a little bit? In this article we look at the pros and cons of exceeding forklift capacity.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Mar 26, 2015
When was the last time you looked at the forklift data plate? Is it scratched? Corroded? Missing? While some operators believe their equipment can carry any load that doesn’t lift the rear wheels off the ground, they’re wrong. Operating equipment beyond the limits specified almost guarantees an incident or near miss. So let’s take a closer look at the data plate and see what we can learn.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift certification, forklift training, lift truck
Jan 28, 2015
What Should Be Included in a Forklift Driving Test? Using a forklift driver test for “evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace”. OSHA regulations require that the employer ensure that each forklift operator is competent to operate a forklift safely. This is accomplished through a combination of classroom and practical instruction and finally by an “evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace”; i.e. a forklift driving test. But who is qualified to administer the forklift driving test and what should it consist of?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift certification, forklift training, lift truck
Jan 14, 2015
When was the last time that your forklift operators had a chance to show off their skills and have a little fun? I’m not talking about doing donuts in the parking lot. I’m talking about participating in a forklift skills competition; sometimes referred to as a forklift challenge or a forklift rodeo.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift certification, forklift training, lift truck
Dec 2, 2014
Do forklift fires pose a hazard? Absolutely. And are all your forklifts equipped with fire extinguishers? Hopefully. Let’s review some of the main ways that your forklift can create a fire hazard.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Oct 7, 2014
Near miss investigations are essential to understanding a forklift accident. While we readily investigate accidents, we are often reluctant to investigate near misses. But ignoring near misses means missing a chance to improve safety.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Sep 2, 2014
The state of your warehouse reveals a lot about your safety culture. How does yours measure up?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Jul 15, 2014
Forklift operators are often faced with the challenge of material stacking a wide variety of products. Each product has different characteristics that requires forklifts to stack using different techniques and to different heights. But one principle holds true. No matter what, material stacking fails if the bottom isn’t adequately supported. So, how high should I stack?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Jul 7, 2014
Many facilities use numerous types and models of forklifts. While employees often feel that once they are certified on one forklift they should be qualified to operate any of them; is that really the case?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Jun 16, 2014
You might wonder why anyone would write a forklift safety article on something as basic as mounting and dismounting forklifts. Does this really pose a hazard? The answer is yes, and the hazard is worse when operators are mounting and dismounting many times during their shift.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
May 11, 2014
Forklift backup alarms generate a lot of discussion. They can be annoying in an already noisy environment, and operators have even been known to stuff material into the horn to muffle the sound. But this equipment plays an essential safety role. I’m guessing that everyone reading this has, at one time, been alerted by the beep-beep-beep of an approaching vehicle. So do you need forklift backup alarms? In general, yes. But the answer isn’t quite that simple.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck, OSHA Safety
Apr 15, 2014
We loved those books and helping our kids find Waldo amid a sea of distractions. But what about when we’re operating forklifts in areas with pedestrians ? How easily can we find Waldo in a forklift blind spot and avoid a collision?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Mar 10, 2014
Pedestrian safety and forklift safety go hand and hand. Many people feel that pedestrians have right of way since they would, most likely, suffer severe injury if there was a collision. Who has right of way – pedestrian safety or forklift safety?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Feb 12, 2014
We have all heard the excuses as to why operators don’t want to wear forklift seat belts. “I don’t have time; I’m up and down on the forklift all day long.” “My forklift doesn’t even have seat belts.” “If OSHA required seat belts it would say so in the rules.” So, are forklift seat belts required?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Feb 11, 2014
Accidents while operating a forklift require a forklift incident investigation to understand what caused the accident.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck, OSHA Safety
Feb 11, 2014
Did you ever come to work and YOUR forklift was broken down? So, you start looking for the spare forklift to operate. You find the old clunker sitting in the corner and remember how poorly the controls work, the seat is cut up and doesn’t adjust very well, and it’s filthy. The thought of having to operate it for the entire shift makes you cringe. The thought of having to repair it makes the forklift mechanics cringe too.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Feb 11, 2014
Forklift operator manuals are one of the most important training tools available to forklift operators. Why? Because it contains vital information on the safe operation of the forklift and for the prevention of damage to the forklift.
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Feb 11, 2014
Why should a forklift operator be concerned with forklift chain stretch? Think about it! Forklift operators rely on their chains to lift thousands of pounds daily. And what happens when the chains break?
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Feb 10, 2014
11% of the nearly 1 million forklifts in use in the U.S. will be involved in some type of accident each year! Some of these incidents are due to unsafe work practices!
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift training, lift truck
Sep 10, 2013
Imagine the new employee wanting to make a good first impression on his supervisor. When his supervisor asks him to “jump on that forklift over there and move that pallet” he thinks to himself “How hard can it be?”
Categorized under: Forklift Blog
Tagged as: forklift, forklift certification, forklift training, lift truck