Improving Forklift Safety Training

Forklift safety is big industry concern for OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the governmental arm responsible for ensuring workplace safety for American workers. One of the reasons is that so many industries and businesses, even small ones, use forklifts, or “powered industrial trucks,” on the job.

Because there is so much potential for accident/injury on and around forklifts (OSHA estimates tens of thousands forklift injuries occur every year on the job), OSHA, its cooperative industry partners, and other workplace safety specialists, have produced a number of resources to help employers make sure that their forklifts are operated in a safe and secure manner.

Since many employers/managers are not trained to operate a forklift themselves, these resources are especially useful in providing extensive training to employees that the employer would not otherwise be able to him or herself.

Consider some of the following resources available:

• Forklift inspection checklists: OSHA has produced checklists to help employers and operators determine whether a forklift is in proper working order.

• Video/DVD forklift safety training: Many companies, including some manufacturers of forklifts, such as Toyota, offer training videos/DVDs on the proper operaration of forklifts. (If you enjoy black comedy, you may see the humor in the German forklift training video making its rounds on the Internet. The message is clear in spite of the fact that it’s in German.) Other manufacturers, like Clark, offer instruction on its website, and Nissan offers live training courses at many of its dealerships, its training center, or on-site for interested businesses. Forklift dealers in the United States are aware of federal regulations regarding forklift training, and are usually happy to make any information available to its customers regarding forklift safety.

• Signs, posters, and other printed media: Often, forklift safety training can be as simple as placing signs and posters in work areas which communicate either through words, pictures, or both, important forklift safety principles. Having visual reminders when it comes to safety measures is never a bad thing. There are also numerous booklets available, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) publication: Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Workers Who Operate or Work Near Forklifts. This manual outlines the OSHA rules of forklift operation, mandatory test and certification guidelines for all forklift operators, proper protective measures, requirements for forklift overhead cages, and many other topics.

Unfortunately, it’s clear from the statistics contained in NIOSH’s forklift safety training manual that many employers do not take the time necessary to understand the regulations regarding forklift safety, or are not aware of the rules at all.

According to NIOSH, 1,021 workers died as the result of a forklift accident in the workplace between 1980 and 1994. A majority of these fatalities (about ¼) occurred as the result of the forklift tipping over, a common problem. Had more of these workers been trained in the recommended procedures for correcting a forklift tip-over, many of these deaths could have been avoided. This statistic alone is indicative of how important forklift safety training is.

OSHA’s website contains a battery of information on forklift safety. Among other things, employers can view the official rules regarding forklift safety in the workplace. The site contains an alphabetical search index, making it easier to locate answers to specific questions related to forklift safety. Many of the written publications and video/DVDs on forklift safety are available in Spanish as well as English.

Employers will also find a full listing of OSHA’s general workplace safety programs, such as its Outreach Training Program, designed for all businesses in general. Many of these resources can be downloaded directly from the Internet, or, hard-copies can be ordered through a local branch of OSHA.

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