Safety Matters By Eric Schmitz eric@kpaonline.com

Forklift Safety: Simple Mistakes Can Cause Tragedy

hances are your facility has storage space or warehouse and utilize fork- lifts. And that your personnel and your forklifts share the same space throughout the day. Although forklifts can make tasks easier and more time-efficient, they can also cause serious injury. A few days ago, a colleague recalled an incident that happened at a warehouse that drew a lot of attention and concern. This story will help you better understand how you can avoid a similar incident before it occurs.

C Hazard 101

One morning a crew was unloading material from the loading dock to the warehouse. To more efficiently move the material, the crew utilized a forklift to move the heaviest boxes. At first, the fork- lift helped to move the process along quickly. While the forklift operator was speedily moving material back and forth from the dock to the warehouse shelves, employees were also busily carrying crates in the same area.

An employee loaded a crate into its dedicated storage space in the warehouse and started walking back to the loading dock. He decided to take a quick cell phone call on his way back. Meanwhile, the forklift operator dropped some mate- rial off in the warehouse, and rather than turning the forklift forward, he shifted the engine to reverse and backed up into the loading area.

Distracted, the employee talking on his cell phone walked into one of the oper- ator’s blind spots. Before anyone could react, the left track of the forklift crushed the employee’s foot. The man was rushed to the hospital and received medical treatment within minutes, but the damage was done. As a result one of the man’s toes had to be amputated. Many facilities have established ware- houses as an extension of the parts or shipping departments. Warehouses have their own set of rules and guidelines, par-

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ticularly when working around Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT), such as forklifts. In order to prevent this kind of accident, and to keep everyone’s toes intact, take a look at the guidelines below.

OSHA Training Requirements Regulations require anyone operating

a forklift to receive training on how to properly and safely operate the machine. This training comes in two forms; first in the classroom, and second in a hands-on training and evaluation session. This first part of the training must cover facility specifics and may require a separate instructor.

The second part of the training, which requires a hands-on test, must be con- ducted by an individual who has the “knowledge, training and experience to train forklift operators and evaluate their performance.” It is mandatory that before an employ- ee operates a forklift, he or she must receive both the formal training as well as the practical.

The practical training must be over- seen by an adequately qualified trainer and completed in a safe location. (An employee is only able to operate the forklift for the test if he or she possesses the knowledge of the classroom train- ing.)

A refresher training course that evalu- ates the level of the operator’s skill is required when one of the following takes place: • An operator is found to be unsafely operating a forklift.

• An accident or near accident takes place.

• There is a change of equipment. • There is a significant change in the workplace.

• An evaluation indicates the need. Once every three years a complete eval- uation must be conducted of each oper- ator’s performance.

Preventative Steps for All Staff • Recommend limiting the use of cell

phones or other electronic devices while traveling through the warehouse as these are a source of pedestrian distraction. PIT drivers should already be restricted from using these devices while operating equipment. • Wear bright, highly visible colors while they are walking in the warehouse or an area where heavy machinery operates. • All personnel who are on foot around dangerous equipment should be trained on space awareness and be restricted from the loading dock when trucks are actively loading or unloading materials. • Warning signs and other cautionary material should be strategically placed in areas where collision is a high risk. • Establish and maintain safety rules around right-of-way and pedestrian-only paths once implemented.

• An employee lane should be identi- fied, after an evaluation of the traffic flow in the warehouse is conducted. • Implement a “Steel Toe Shoe Only” policy for all warehouse employees. Steel toe caps may also be provided for visitors if assessed as necessary.

Where forklifts are used, it is a law to have a system in place that protects employees from potential injury. ARA University has launched a forklift safety online training program that manage- ment can use to help satisfy OSHA requirements. Facility-specific training may also be needed to supplement the online training if facility-specific condi- tions are not covered. In some cases, state regulations may be more stringent than those shown above. For more on forklift safety, visit ARAUniversity.org.

Eric Schmitz is Vice President of Product and Business Development at KPA, the educa- tional platform partner of the ARA University. KPA brings Environmental Health & Safety, HR Management and F&I Compliance pro-

grams to ARA University’s online training platform.