FORKLIFT SAFETY

Safety is a vital part of forklift operations. Many forklift safety practices are as simple and clear as those for driving the family automobile. For instance, before you start your car, you check to see if the transmission is in NEUTRAL or PARK. When stopping your car, you do so gradually, not abruptly. Because a forklift is a special machine designed for a different purpose, you must exercise more caution and receive more training to operate a forklift properly.

The techniques for safe forklift operations are as follows:

1. Avoid lifting or hitting anything that is likely to fall on you or other personnel in the area. Remember that a forklift equipped with an overhead guard or ROPS

Figure 8-23.-Load too wide to maneuver through a warehouse door.

Figure 8-24.-Technique of maneuvering a wide load through a warehouse door.

and load backrest extension provides reasonable protection against a falling object but cannot protect you against every impact. A forklift without an overhead guard provides no protection. For this reason, you should never attempt to pickup any loose, unstable, or stacked load if it appears that any part of the elevated load might topple through or over the top of the upright or fall on anybody standing nearby. You should also avoid hitting certain objects, such as stacked material, that could become dislodged and fall. Do not move your forklift around with the load carriage elevated. These rules apply whether or not your forklift is equipped with an overhead guard and are important if you are not protected by an overhead guard. Enforcing these rules may mean a smaller load, but you are protecting yourself and others working in your area.

2. Use a secured safety platform when lifting personnel. A forklift is built for only one rider-the operator. Because of the hazardous conditions that can result, it is unauthorized for anyone to ride the forks of a forklift or hitch a ride in any manner. If a forklift is used to elevate workers, a safety platform must be secured to the forks. The platform should be specially built and secured to keep it from slipping from the forks, and it should have a solid floor and handrail (fig. 8-25).

3. Keep arms and legs inside the operator's compartment. Holding them outside the machine can be dangerous in narrow aisles.

4. Keep yourself and all others clear of the hoisting mechanisms. NEVER PUT HANDS, ARMS, HEAD, OR LEGS THROUGH THE HOISTING MECHANISM. This rule applies to both you and the rigger. A rigger should not be near the load or hoisting mechanism while you are attempting to pick up, hoist, or deposit a load.

5. Never allow anyone under the load.

6. Report damaged or faulty equipment immediately-do not operate a forklift that is unsafe. You can complete a job with a forklift safely only when it is working correctly; therefore, a forklift should never be operated when it is not running properly.

7. Avoid bumps, holes, slick spots, and loose materials that may cause your forklift to swerve or tip over. Different models of forklifts are designed to operate under different conditions. Although large forklifts can adapt to more uneven ground, do not expect them to maintain their balance under abusive ground conditions. Try to pick the smoothest areas when moving material from one place to another.

Figure 8-25.-Safety platform.

8. Travel slowly in narrow aisles and around corners, especially blind corners. To help avoid collisions, you should sound your horn in advance.

9. Lower the carriage completely, and set the

parking brake before leaving your forklift. Block the wheels when parking on an incline or working on the forklift. These rules apply under all conditions, even if you are only going to leave your forklift for a moment. A driverless forklift does not have to move far in close quarters to cause serious injury.

10. Do not turn on an incline. For stability, a forklift should not be driven along the side of an incline that leans the forklift sideways. Always keep either the rear end or front end of the forklift pointed up or down the slope.

11. Do not fill the fuel tank while the engine is running.

12. Sudden starts and stops cause premature wear on parts of the forklift, such as axles and gears, and cause tires to wear faster. Personnel nearby may become injured and materials may be damaged by a forklift suddenly going into motion or going out of control.

13. Because a forklift is designed to perform so many functions within a small space, you must anticipate certain clearance situations. As an operator, you must be aware the forks will sometimes protrude beyond the front of the load. Because of this, you may strike objects or lift or nudge other loads on pallets. Many serious mishaps have been caused by uprights and overhead guards striking pipes and beams connected to the ceiling in a warehouse. Some forklift models steer from the rear axle. On these machines, the tail swings and can hurt personnel or damage property.

CAUTION

FAILURE TO KEEP A CAREFUL WATCH IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL CAN RESULT IN DAMAGE TO SOMETHING OR INJURY TO SOMEONE.