The Role of Forklift Operators in Material Handling Safety
In the supply chain, forklifts serve as indispensable resources that come along with their fair share of risks. To combat these risks, forklift operators serve as the last line of defense, using their judgement and experience to navigate each day’s work in a safe manner. As it is, most forklift accidents stem from operator inattention, poor decision-making, and unsafe practices, any of which can put people and property directly in harm’s way. In addition, forklift accidents tend to happen at slow speeds and in routine applications where one split-second decision or distraction can cause a collision, personnel impact, or forklift tip-over. For these reasons, we’ve prepared this article to share important safety resources and tips that can help forklift operators reach the highest levels of safety in their work.
Forklifts and their use in industry are regulated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which publishes and enforces regulatory standards governing how businesses shall manage forklifts and their operators. From there, employers are expected to prepare their own individual forklift safety programs, provide training for each operator, and actively manage day to day forklift operations. Let’s get introduced to these federal requirements in the next section.
OSHA Guidelines for Safe Industrial Fork Truck Operations
Before any fork truck operator is allowed to use a forklift, a series of federal regulatory prerequisites must be satisfied between the operator and their employer. Employers must set up a forklift safety program for their business and provide proper training to all operators specific to the lift types and working conditions that they’ll encounter. OSHA’s core operator requirements include:
- All powered industrial truck operators shall receive initial training on a prescribed set of safety topics including forklift operating instructions, steering and maneuvering, vehicle stability, operating limitations, workplace conditions, pedestrian awareness, and much more. 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(3)
- All powered industrial truck operators shall receive ongoing evaluation and refresher training to ensure that the operator maintains the required knowledge and skills to safely discharge their duties, to occur at least once every three years. 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)
- Refresher training shall also be required at any time that:
- An operator is observed or evaluated to be operating a lift truck in an unsafe manner
- An operator has been involved in an accident or near-miss incident
- An operator switches to new equipment that they have not previously (or recently) been trained on
- A condition in the working environment changes in a way that calls for updated training
- Upon completion of the above training, all fork truck operators will receive certification that they have successfully been trained and evaluated in accordance with OSHA requirements. 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(6)
- Operators are required to perform a physical evaluation known as a Pre-Operation Inspection on their fork trucks at least once daily. For multi-shift operations, fork trucks must be inspected at the end of each shift as well. 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7)
- After each pre-operation inspection, operators should take their fork trucks through a range of operational inspections to check that all mechanical, electrical, and safety devices are working properly. Any issues found in functional systems such as steering, brakes, mast tilt, reverse alarms, lights, horns, and so on shall remove the forklift from service until it is repaired. 29 CFR 1910.178
- In addition to the above, operators must remove forklifts from service whenever an unsafe condition is observed such as visible damage, leaks, hazardous emissions, non-functioning safety devices (IE seat belts), and overheating. 29 CFR 1910.178
- Overall, operators must assess and ensure that their fork truck is in good operating condition, free of excess soils and debris that would otherwise make the lift unsafe. 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(10)
Useful External Resources on Forklift Safety Regulatory Requirements
- Federal OSHA’s Powdered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) eTool – an interactive website that lists out OSHA’s requirements and provides many OSHA-authored resources that companies can use to build out their own forklift safety programs. This tool is a more approachable option that reading OSHA’s 1910.178 Powered Industrial Trucks standards directly.
- OSHA Quick Card, Safe Forklift Operation – a one-page informational list of recommended safe forklift operational practices.
- OSHA Forklift Hazards and Solutions – a general list of forklift safety publications, case studies, and informational bulletins.
- OSHA Materials Handling and Storing Guidance – this publication covers a wide array of common questions asked by employers and employees alike regarding safe material handling operations, providing useful answers on many topics beyond just forklift safety.
- ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 Forklift Safety Standard – the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation (ITSDF) B56 standard series is the technical source of safety criteria that OSHA references with their regulations. Readers looking for exceptional technical details on low- and high-lift trucks can go right to the source with this B56.1-2020 standard.
Going Above and Beyond with Forklift Operator Safety
While federal OSHA requirements set minimum expectations for forklift operators, they do not directly translate into actionable safety tips or best practices. For specific suggestions, operators must turn to other publications and sources such as those listed above. From our experience with such external publications as well as our own daily engagement with our many material handling clients, here are several thoughts on how operators can go above and beyond with forklift safety:
All federal and local regulations must be treated as general guidelines that do not take any single use-case or scenario into consideration. For this reason, operators cannot rely solely on regulatory standards to govern their day-to-day activities. Operators must look beyond regulatory standards to learn how to protect their own safety, including resources such as:
- Employer-specific training and certification programs
- Employer-specific operating instructions and rules
- The fork truck OEM’s written operating manual
- The fork truck OEM’s supplementary instructional materials and hands-on training
- Guidance materials from credible, applicable third-party entities (such as a company’s insurance carrier)
Many operators perceive forklifts as unfailing heavy equipment that can handle any situation thrown at them. In actuality, forklifts are designed for very specific operating conditions, and everything outside of these conditions can be extremely risky to the lift and its operator. Operators must always consult their lift’s manual for what their specific lift can and cannot do and assume that all conditions outside of the written permissible use-cases are unsafe.
In almost all cases, forklift traffic safety could be improved in any given material handling space. Speed limits, traffic lane markings, visibility enhancers such as mirrors and sight tunnels, controlled intersections, and even traffic signals are all examples of traffic control devices that can positively influence forklift operator (and pedestrian) safety. When these features are not provided, operators should work with management to establish such ‘rules of the road’, aligning all parties to a common set of traffic expectations and practices.
Finally, it’s worth listing the most common safety requirements that we see missed in everyday working environments. Whether operators forget these rules or choose to ignore them, these simple solutions can help defend against the vast majority of operator risks:
- When visibility is limited, use a spotter no matter how quick or easy the maneuver at hand is.
- Always inspect trailer floors for structural concerns before driving a forklift in (to catch failing floors that forklifts can fall through).
- Take the extra few minutes to confirm that trailers are locked and blocked at docks before driving a forklift in.
- Only make smooth, wide turns, as sharp turns lead to tip-overs.
- Operators should only drive lifts and perform tasks that they are familiar with, trained for, and comfortable executing in a safe manner.
- Leave plenty of room for reaction times – trail other vehicles by at least 3-5 seconds and slow down approaching all traffic intersections (including ends of aisles, pedestrian crossings, lane splits, and charging stalls).
- Always set the parking brake, lower the forks, and straighten the mast when dismounting the lift. Power down the lift in all cases except for short tasks and when the lift will remain nearby within line-of-sight.
- If a lift has a seat belt or other restraint device, it must be used at all times.
We hope that this discussion on material handling techniques and technologies proves useful to your manufacturing, construction, and distribution interests. Atlantic Forklift Services is your premiere material handling equipment resource, serving customers in the North and South Carolinas with professional equipment sales, rentals, service, repair, parts, training, and solution consulting. As a award-winning dealership, Atlantic Forklift Services partners with world-class equipment manufacturers including Bobcat Material Handling Equipment. To learn more, please contact us by phone at (866) 243-0991, by email at info@atlanticforkliftservices.com, or on the web at https://www.atlanticforkliftservices.com/.