Forklift Safety Newsletter – Slow, Fast, Too Fast?
Summer 2019
How fast should a forklift travel? The question is asked often, but we know there is no single answer. There is, however, a process we can use to determine the answer.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Load Characteristics: Which Ones Matter? Part 2 of 2.
Fall 2018
In our Summer, 2018 newsletter we looked at the ways in which stability and friction can affect load handling. In part two we’ll see how the load’s weight and center of gravity affect stability.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Load Characteristics: Which Ones Matter? Part 1 of 2.
September 3, 2018
Loads can have many different characteristics. Which load characteristics should we take into account before moving them? In this first part of our two-part series, we’ll see how the load’s stability and friction affect safety. In the next issue, (Fall, 2018) we will look at the load’s weight and center of gravity.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Spring 2018 – Forklift Trainer Qualifications
April 9, 2018
OSHA requires that companies certify their forklift operators every three years. But what about forklift trainer qualifications? What makes these persons “qualified” to certify others?
Forklift Safety Newsletter: Telehandler: Pre-job Site Assessments
3/27/18
While we might be eager to jump on a telehandler and get to work, performing a quick pre-job site assessment might save you a lot of time and trouble.
Forklift Safety Newsletter: Using Two Forklifts to Load/Unload?
1/25/18
Consider the following scenario: Your supervisor asks you unload a piece of machinery off a truck. When you get there you find out that the load is a few hundred pounds heavier than your truck’s capacity. But it would be well within the capacity of two lift trucks. Can you suspend the load from both trucks and complete the task?
Confined Space and Industrial Rescue: How and How Much?
Jan 22, 2018
Does your facility require a rescue team? What OSHA standards require some kind of emergency response procedures? If your facility needs some level of emergency response, how do you develop these capabilities? What types of procedures, equipment, and training is needed? Or should it be out sourced?
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Ready For Winter Driving Conditions?
Dec 12, 2017
With winter rapidly approaching it is time to think about how changes in weather, etc. can impact the safe operation of forklifts in three key areas.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Fork Extensions: Good Idea or Not?
Aug 29, 2017
Fork extensions can both solve and create load handling problems. They allow operators to handle wider loads, but they change the load center which affects stability and capacity. Why do extensions change the truck’s capacity?
Forklift Safety Newsletter – How Safe Is Your Loading Dock?
Apr 5, 2017
Traditional open-style loading docks should always be a concern for safety managers since there is nothing to prevent a forklift from driving off the edge of the dock.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – Inspect a Van Before Loading or Unloading
Jan 23, 2017
A van moving or shifting while loading or unloading can cause a whole series of expensive problems.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – August 2016 – Transporting Liquids
Jul 28, 2016
Every load has unique characteristics that an operator needs to take into consideration before moving it. Transporting liquids offers a prime example.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – July 2016 – Fork Inspection
Jul 11, 2016
Forks that break or show excessive wear pose a serious hazard. Fortunately a thorough pre-use fork inspection can identify these deficiencies before they cause accidents.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – June 2016 – Telehandler Stability
Jun 8, 2016
Central to the safe operation of a lift truck is understanding the factors that affect stability. When it comes to telehandlers, many of these factors come into play, but there are a few more to consider that are specific to telehandler stability.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – May 2016 – Load Backrest Tall Enough?
May 4, 2016
OSHA generally requires that lift trucks which handle small objects or un-banded units have a vertical load backrest of sufficient height, width, and strength to prevent the load or any part of it from falling toward the operator.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – April 2016 – Free Rigging
Apr 5, 2016
It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention. So when forklift operator’s are faced with moving a variety of unusual material they have come up with innovative ways to accomplish the task. One of these ways is what is often called free rigging.
Forklift Safety Newsletter – February 2016 – Telehandlers
Feb 3, 2016
Telehandlers are defined as: A vehicle with a telescopically extensible boom, which can be fitted with various lifting or manipulative devices such as pallet forks. The word is a combination of telescopic and handler.
Fork Length – What Does It Matter? – Forklift Safety Newsletter – January 2016
Jan 6, 2016
As a forklift operator you may not pay much attention to the fork length because they are the same length every day when you get on your forklift. But there are several principles involving fork length that you should keep in mind.
Forklift Design: Operator Presence System – Forklift Safety Newsletter – December 2015
Dec 7, 2015
As manufacturers develop new safety features, operators need to understand how these systems work and how they might be affected by these changes. A perfect example is the Operator Presence System (OPS) which uses a sensor in the operator’s seat to detect the presence of the operator. Forklifts manufactured after November 1, 2005 are required to be equipped with an OPS .
Trucks Pulling Away – Forklift Safety Newsletter – November 2015
Nov 4, 2015
In safety we understand that if something can be done, it will be done eventually. So if it’s possible for a truck to pull away when being loaded by a forklift, it will happen. You can find videos showing trucks pulling away on YouTube and on regulatory websites there are plenty of case studies. So, how do you keep a truck driver from driving off during the loading process?