Forklift safety -- Australian style

Forklifts have killed 54 employees in Victoria, Australia since 1985 and injured many more. As a result, WorkSafe Victoria, the Victorian Work Cover Authority, has issued a detailed booklet on forklift safety that helps employers prevent forklift incidents through improved forklift traffic management.

The booklet provides details on every important forklift safety subject – from the risks of overturning and tipping, to speed and stopping distances, to getting on and off properly in order to prevent slips, trips and falls, to load carrying, to pedestrian risks.

There is information for operators (“when a forklift overturns, the safest place for the operator is in the cabin with a seatbelt on”) and employers (“An effective traffic management plan can use a range of devices, including pedestrian and forklift exclusion zones, safety barriers, containment fences and reduced speed limiting devices.”).

“These are the problems, but on a positive note, they are all fixable,” says Trevor Martin, director of WorkSafe’s transport and storage industry program. “And how to fix them is detailed in the Forklift Safety Pack.”

View it free online at
http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/dir090/vwa/publica.nsf/Site+Search/F27C2AF239DC19DDCA2570270011DAD5

Don't rush training

Training forklift operators is not something that can be done quickly, or according to a set plan. Each operator must be trained on an individual basis to insure he or she understands the procedures of operating a truck in his specific work environment.

According to David Hoover, president of Forklift Training Systems, “The trainer must look at the demands that will be put on a specific operator, on a certain type of lift and in a specific application and then determine if the person can perform at that level. If they cannot, the answer to getting them ‘up to speed’ is supervised practice. For some operators, lifts and applications, that may take hours, for others weeks. There is no “instant” forklift operator, no matter how badly production would like to have them up and running. Rushing the process can spell disaster for the operator or a co-worker.

“Trainers must take their jobs seriously and look at operators’ skills, not their personalities or other aspects. Sliding everyone through, no matter what the skill level, is a thing of the past and something we don’t want to continue for safety’s sake. My advice to trainers is to train people thoroughly, invest time in getting them up to speed and then expect a certain level of proficiency before handing them the keys.”

Fleet management

The poor management of forklift fleets leads to a loss or productivity and potential accidents.

Forklift management problems include running forklifts beyond their economic and functional lives and using too many different manufacturers with different controls. It is common to find companies that have trucks up to 30 years old from many different manufacturers. Some companies operate two pedal brake systems, one pedal brake systems, multidirectional travel pedals and hydrostatic drive systems all in one warehouse. There is no problem with any of these controls but it makes cross training more difficult and operating them more dangerous, since it takes time to become familiar with each set up.

Here are some basic forklift management recommendations:

* Inventory your fleet and track operating costs and hours for each forklift in your fleet
* Bring in several forklift dealers or national account managers to evaluate your current situation and make recommendations
* Settle on one manufacturer and purchase trucks with common control set ups
* Whether you replace your entire fleet now, or over several years, ensure older forklifts that might be unsafe are eliminated from your fleet as soon as possible.

Explosion-proof trucks

Forklifts don’t just overturn, they explode. When forklifts work in hazardous conditions and their ignition sources or hot surfaces are exposed to flammable gases, vapors, liquids or combustible powders, fires or explosions can occur.

Two kinds of explosion-proof trucks are available. EE trucks have all the electrical equipment enclosed and are sometimes called “spark enclosed,” according to Ed Campbell, sales manager for Landoll Corp. These trucks are typically used when flammable liquids and gases are in containers.

EX trucks meet the same criteria as EE, but also “have all electrical fittings and equipment sealed so that they can operate in areas where the atmosphere contains flammable gases, dust or fibers,” Campbell says. Some EX models also have bronze clad forks and bronze bumper strips around the perimeter of the frame to prevent sparking.

OSHA requires EX trucks for “atmospheres in which combustible dust is or may be in suspension continuously, intermittently or periodically under normal operating conditions, in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.”

Industries involved in manufacturing, handling, processing or storing explosive or hazardous materials, including perfumes, cosmetics, paints, varnishes, printing ink and chemicals use EX forklifts. It represents two percent of the total forklift market.

Are your trainers qualified?

“Many trainers have received little, if any, training on the standards that apply and how to motivate people to work safely,” says David Hoover, president of Forklift Training Systems, Newark, OH.

OSHA says trainers must have the “knowledge, training and experience” to train others, but doesn’t require any kind of accreditation. So it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the trainer is qualified to train operators and achieve safe working conditions.

Trainers should be familiar with a wide range of topics, relating to the truck and to the specific workplace.

Truck topics include:

* Truck controls and instrumentation – where they are located, what they do, how they work
* Engine or motor operation
* Steering and maneuvering
* Visibility (including restrictions due to loading)
* Fork and attachment adaptation, operation and use limitations
* Vehicle capacity
* Any vehicle inspection and maintenance the operator must perform
* Refueling and recharging batteries
* All other operating instructions listed in the operator’s manual for the type of vehicle to be used
* Proper use of seat belts and operator restraint

Workplace topics include:

* Surface conditions where vehicle will be operated
* Composition of loads to be carried
* Load manipulation, stacking and unstacking
* Pedestrian traffic
* Narrow aisles, other restricted places and hazardous locations where vehicle will be operated
* Ramps and other sloped surfaces
* Closed environments with insufficient ventilation

Periodic refresher training

Today’s blog features comments from Kent O’Sullivan, a master trainer with the Columbia Compliance Group, Abbotsford, British Columbia, which originally appeared at Forkliftaction.com:

“Periodic refresher training is required by many regulations, codes and standards. It is essential for keeping safety skills sharp and preventing a dangerous sense of complacency. But if employees come to repeat training sessions with the attitude that they’ve heard it all before, how can you keep them from tuning out?

One of the best ways to start a repeat training class is with a pre-test to find out how much trainees remember from previous training sessions. That way you can quickly review what they already know, then concentrate on new information and material.
To make refresher training interesting and relevant, emphasize what has changed since the last training session, including new policies, work rules and regulations. Have new hazards been introduced into your facility? Have new work procedures been instituted or new equipment been installed? Have there been any accidents relating to the subject of your training?
Here are some other ideas to help make training fresh and new:

* Have trainees pair off and do an activity, such as going into work areas and finding as many hazards as they can
* Bring in slides of work areas, equipment and operations and have employees identify any hazards they see
* Invite a guest speaker, with expertise in a safety area, such as a firefighter or PPE rep
* Lead a discussion about safety problems and brainstorm with the group for solutions”

Thanks, Kent

Mandatory training hours

Today’s blog features comments from David Hooper, president of Forklift Training Systems, Newark, OH, which originally appeared at Forkliftaction.com:

“As a U.S. based trainer, I have not dealt with any standards that require a specific number of hours to certify an operator, unlike other countries’ standards. Mandatory hours are both good and bad. The positive side is that you can at least ensure drivers have a certain number of hours under their belts before they are qualified to operate on their own. The downside is it does not allow the flexibility to fast track people who are more advanced, or to deal with folks who are slower learners.

Some trainers may have a problem with a required number of hours since it cuts their flexibility. However, I would ask whether it is better to have no required hours at all. It scares me that some operators in the U.S. get only minutes of operation before they are certified to operate.

One solution might be to keep mandatory hours fairly low and then allow more or less time, depending on what the trainer sees in the student. Some operators might progress immediately into the final evaluation stage, while others would enter remedial training.

Nothing can replace a seasoned trainer’s opinion of an operator. But mandatory hours guidelines could assist in getting operators prepared to succeed in the workplace.”

Thanks, David!

Lifting personnel

Contractors frequently use forklifts to elevate personnel to items too high to reach from the floor or a ladder. But falls from high levels have resulted in fatalities and serious injuries.

Forklifts should be used to lift personnel only if the following guidelines are followed:

* A 8,000 lb capacity forklift or greater required.
* Cage must be attached appropriately to the forklift
* The operator must be in the control position.
* Cordoning the area should be considered.
* Other personnel must be kept clear of cage work area.
* Personnel in the cage must wear a body harness and lanyard attached to the cage.
* The mast must be in the vertical position and never tilted.
* Movement of the forklift, while personnel are in the cage, must not be greater than creep speed.
* Personnel should be at least one foot away from the cage per foot the cage is raised.