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Forklift Safety Related Articles |
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While there will be no physical event this year, there are things we can do to take advantage of this day to help create awareness about the dangers that forklifts present and how to minimize the potential for accidents that can result in injury, death, damage to your facility or equipment, and financial losses. Safety is one of the primary pillars of a productive and profitable material handling operation. Unfortunately, most small to mid-size companies do not have the resources for a safety and compliance manager, much less a safety department. OSHA has tools available for these companies to help you not only gain compliance, but to help you look at your operation with a “safety eye,” identifying potential hazards before they become health, safety or legal issues. You just purchased a new forklift. Along with your purchase you made sure your forklift operators were trained properly. Operators’ knowledge of safe lifting capacity equals a lower risk of property damage, injury or death. Your forklift was shipped from the manufacturer with a data plate indicating lift capacities at various heights based on its equipment options, for example, side shifters, carton clamps or other attachments. Once you put the forklift into service, there are several factors that can, over time, dramatically reduce the safe lifting capacity of that forklift. Below we have highlighted the major factors effecting lift capacity. Sadly, the answer to the above question is probably “NO” or “I’m not sure” when the fact is most companies don’t even know their rights when OSHA walks in the door much less how to come away from an audit without 10’s or 100’s of thousands of dollars in fines. While there are hundreds if not thousands of little things you can do to ensure a safe workplace, we have found four overriding traits that some of the most sucessful safety-minded companies exhibit. Find out what they are in this feature article. A new report generated by OSHA highlights the real costs associated with on the job injuries, who pays them and how this impacts the employee and taxpayers. There's a huge difference between truly training forklift operators versus simply teaching them. This prinicple of training applies to nearly everything we do, but what's the difference and what does it mean in materials handling? This Feature Article seeks to reveal some of the things you can do to ensure true training is being done at your facility that will result in a safer and more productive workplace. When you were learning to tie your shoes, it wasn't a one-time demonstration by your mother. Rather it was a tedious task for both of you. Teaching and learning can be quite difficult and frustrating for the trainer and the trainee. Read more... |
Although the recession is beginning to ease, a lot of companies have been forced to cut back, to do more with fewer people, and to assign many employees to new jobs they may have never done. With this in mind, you can see where OSHA would have reason to make sure that these employees are being protected in the workplace. Since the government is also looking for increased revenue streams, it is highly likely that... Most companies are in compliance with general classroom and hands-on training when it comes to forklift operator training. However, many fall short when it comes to ensuring their forklift operators are trained to the unique characteristics that can create hazards in your warehouse. This article walks you through the process of ensuring you establish an effective site-specific forklift operator training component for your forklift operator training program. Docks are very busy places and represent a significant risk for an accident or incident, particularly when during busy seasons. There are some things you can do to reduce this risk and demonstrate the intention of creating a safe work environment for the employees that operate on or around your docks. Summer months are upon us and heat related injuries and illnesses can sneak up on employees quickly. These quick 5 tips will help you, help them stay healthy and more productive this summer. In 1972, the Occupational Health and Safety Act created OSHA as we know it today. This month, we take a look at who approved the act, why, and what has transpired in the more than four decades that the agency has been in operation. Even if your your forklift operators are trained, dangers exist every time a pedestrian enters your facility or warehouse where lift equipment is being operated. This Feature Article highlights the dangers pedestrians face in your facility and what you can do to minimize the opportunity for an accident. There are some obvious reasons to conduct forklift operator training, but we have found four major advantages to conduct comprehensive, ongoing training that exceeds a simple requirement and seeks to provide a truly safe and more productive operation. Read what they are in this month's feature. Daily Pre-Shift inspections are a requirement by OSHA to ensure the lift truck that is about to haul around thousands of pounds, is safe to do so. In addition to compliance, catching small service issues before they blossom into giant repair or incident headaches is a protection to your bottom line. |
