![]() Mirrors are often used to help the driver maintain a visual of his surroundings to avoid collisions with other equipment and people.The warning, directional, and brake light (b) must be in working order.All forklifts should have a re extinguisher on board (a), especially those that are gas powered.Forklifts also have backup alarms that will sound whenever the forklift operates in reverse. A horn to indicate when a forklift is coming through an intersection or when the operator’s vision is obscured.There are other safety features that include: The slow turn gives operators the false sense that they have time to jump out, when in reality they do not. ![]() Then the center of gravity shifts, and the turn speeds up rapidly. The nature of forklifts causes them to turn very slowly at first. Many fatalities occur because operators attempt to jump from the machine when it overturns. As a forklift operator, it is important to always use the restraint because it can prevent you from being thrown out of the protective cage should your forklift overturn. Older forklifts can often be retro fitted with operator restraints. Restraints for operators are standard requirements for all forklifts built since 1992. These guards are meant to protect the operator from small packages being dropped, but are not effective against the loss of a full load. Forklifts that can be used to lift loads over the operator are also required to have an overhead guard. This backrest is required any time loads are lifted high and could fall to the rear when driving on uneven surfaces or in the case of acceleration or sudden stops. In order to minimize risks, you should always keep the load on the uphill side, which requires the operator to drive in reverse, sometimes for long stretches.įorklifts are equipped with a load backrest to keep the load from falling onto the operator. It is also very easy to lose control on inclines. Stopping quickly and swerving are hard to do without losing control of the forklift. This allows the front end to be used to carry the load, but requires room for the rear of the forklift to swing around to make turns.įorklifts are also not as quick to respond as cars. In most automobiles the front wheels provide steering, but in a forklift the steering is done by the rear wheels. Safety Features of ForkliftsĪlthough you might think that driving a car would prepare you to operate a forklift, they do not work in the same way. Knowing which class of forklift you will work with should help you understand its safety features and potential hazards. Each type of lift is characterized by a class. They also come in different sizes and have different functions according to the kind of work for which they will be used. Forklifts can be either battery powered or run on gas or diesel fuel. If you work around forklifts or are a forklift operator, you should learn all you can about using these machines safely to prevent injury or death.Īll forklifts fall under the category of ‘powered industrial trucks,’ but they are not all the same. With proper training and diligent forklift safety practices, most of these deaths could have been prevented. In fact, each year almost 100 people are killed and another 20,000 injured by forklift accidents. Another 16% of deaths were caused by someone being crushed by a forklift, and 9% by an operator falling from a forklift. Collisions between forklifts and workers on the ground where the ground worker died accounted for 20% of deaths. Of these accidents, the biggest portion, 22%, was caused by a forklift overturn. The National Traumatic Occupational Surveillance System registered 1,530 worker deaths from forklift accidents between 19. These machines are powerful, though, and there is always risk involved when they are used by people who have not been trained on operating them safely. For this reason, many companies employ forklifts and forklift operators to do this kind of labor. Using a forklift lessens the risk of injuries caused by lifting or carrying heavy items. The forklift is a commonly used tool that helps people lift and move heavy loads with very little physical effort and excellent precision.
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