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.