Electrical power lines

A forklift operator in Tampa, FL was performing a routine maneuver, hoisting trusses onto the third floor of a complex when the forklift arm broke a 7,620-volt power line, starting a fire that spread quickly over a two block area.

Forklift operators must always be aware of overhead electrical power lines, because they are the leading cause of death in forklift operations, along with overturns.

Forklifts are usually equipped with bronze forks that are formulated to reduce spark formation in flammable areas. But the remainder of a forklift is electrically conductive and the forks are susceptible to damage if they’re grounded.

Operators should take these precautions to avoid electrical accidents:

* Know where power lines are located
* Treat all power lines as though they are bare and uninsulated
* Maintain a safe working clearance of at least 10 feet from energized electrical lines
* Lower the loads to avoid interacting with power lines
* Keep all equipment away from power lines

Company must pay full fine for youth fatality

An administrative law judge reduced the $132,575 fine a Massachusetts fish processing company was ordered to pay in connection with a 2000 forklift accident that led to a fatality, but the Department of Labor’s Administrative Board reversed the decision, because the victim was a minor, according to the Boston Business Journal.

The violation by Fisherman’s Fleet, Malden, Mass., “resulted in the most severe consequence, the death of a 16-year-old boy,” the DOL said. “Given that fact and the review of the other factors, the board found that the penalty assessed against the company should not be reduced.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits employees less than 18 years old from operating forklifts.

The DOL found that over the course of two years, Fisherman’s had hired 26 minors between the ages of 14 and 18 as cleaners. The work required the use of a forklift, and the minors received no safety training. Joseph Marzullo, 16, died from injuries sustained from a forklift overturn.

After the accident, the Massachusetts Department of Health developed a “Forklift Stop Sticker” that employers can affix to the equipment to remind workers and their supervisors of the law.

NIOSH offers these safety tips for operating a forklift:

NIOSH offers these safety tips for operating a forklift:

* Do not jump from an overturning, sit-down type forklift. Stay with the truck, holding on firmly and leaning in the opposite direction of the overturn.
* Exit fro a stand-up type forklift with rear-entry access by stepping backward if a lateral tipover occurs.
* On grades, tilt the load back and raise it only as far as needed to clear the road surface.
* Do not raise or lower the forks while the forklift is moving.
* Do not handle loads that are heavier than the weight capacity of the forklift
* When dismounting from a forklift, set the parking brake,lower the forks or lifting carriage and neutralize the controls
* Do not allow passengers to ride on the forklift unless a seat is provided
* When a truck is used to elevate personnel, secure the elevating platform to the lifting carriage or forks of the forklift

Teens on forklifts

A 16-year-old summer worker at a warehouse was driving a forklift down a loading dock ramp with the forks lifted 10 feet high. The forklift became unstable and tipped over, and the boy was crushed to death.

Of the 613 forklift fatalities in a recent six-year period, six involved minors. The National Consumer League ranks forklift driving as one of the five worst teen jobs, based on government statistics and reports. It notes that teens die driving forklifts, but can also be run over by a forklift they’re not operating, struck by a load that fell from a forklift or die as a passenger in a forklift.

Employers should note the Fair Labor Standards Act and state child labor laws prohibit anyone under 18 from operating forklifts. They are not prohibited from riding on them or working in an environment where they are in operation, so employers should take special precautions to protect teen employees from the dangers of forklifts to passengers and pedestrians.

Seatbelts

A 37-year-old shop foreman in Oklahoma died in a forklift accident because the truck wasn’t equipped with a seatbelt and when it overturned the victim fell out of the truck and was crushed.

Since 1992, all forklifts come equipped with seatbelts and older ones can be retrofitted. But some forklifts still don’t have seatbelts and they are not required by OSHA, which creates a severe hazard for drivers.

Seat belts are essential to protect drivers from overturn situations, because the risk of being crushed is reduced if the driver is secured and remains inside the vehicle.

Employers should provide seatbelts to forklift operators and train them to use them. It’s the best way to promote safe operating procedures in the event of overturns, which are the leading cause of forklift fatalites.