I had another “that makes me want to vomit” moment when I read that as a country we are failing when it comes to forklift safety. We have had seven workplace deaths relating to forklifts (Powered Industrial Trucks) in the last seven weeks. See: Spike in forklift related workplace deaths
WorkSafe chief executive Nicole Rosie sums it up by saying “Forklifts are a known risk – they’ve been killing and maiming people for many years, yet there is little evidence the risk they pose is being identified, let alone appropriately managed.” Yet, somehow we are still getting it wrong.
What can you do to keep your team safe?
- Ensure operators do pre-operations checks and regular preventative maintenance is carried out
- Include employees in hazard/risk identification. Think about:
- Risks to forklift stability/ potential for rollover
- Load weights
- Breaking distances
- Uneven Flooring
- Ventilation
- Driver qualifications
- Impact of weather conditions
- Anything else that could go wrong
- Have pedestrian exclusion zones and safety zones for truck drivers where required. This means painting yellow lines to act as guidelines on the ground and erecting bollards (best practice), or at least having witches hats and signage.
If you are confused, take a read of these:
- Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for training operators and instructors of powered industrial lift trucks (forklifts).
- Safety Code for Forklift Truck Operators No.1 Front Loading Forklift Trucks
- Forklifts and carbon monoxide poisoning
Have safe and productive week.
SB
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