Safe use of forklift

 

of all the things that are important to

you where would you rank safety the kids

don't think about it when they're

playing but if you have a family you

want them to be safe you want to be safe

while you're at home or when you're at

work we all have a lot of

responsibilities and people who depend

on us in order to be safe and return

home at the end of the day important

safety rules must be followed live truck

operators are just like millions of

other professionals who earn their

living by operating equipment or

vehicles they take skill training and

experience realizing that no job on the

ground or in the air can be done at the

expense of safety remember you're

working on a piece of machinery that

weighs about nine thousand pounds with a

load it increases up to fourteen

thousand pounds that's equivalent to six

cars

lift truck operators have a difficult

job they lift heavy loads and they will

mover in tight spaces safety isn't

something anyone sets out to ignore but

tight schedules heavy equipment

pedestrian traffic and congested work

space can compromise safety any hour any

minute any time unfortunately accidents

can happen

but accents happen more and cost more

than we realize

between lost time increased insurance

premiums and litigation

it's common for accidents to cost a

company over a million dollars some

companies cannot survive the aftermath

and close their doors permanently then

there is personal injury let's not

forget the family especially the

children one accident can cost a child a

lifetime of happy memories but we can

improve safety with the right training

and the right rules government studies

have shown effective training programs

improve lift truck operators safety

performance by as much as 70% the

Canadian standards Association has

published a study that outlines the

minimum training a lift truck operator

should have this standard was created

due to the hundreds of accidents many of

which are fatal that occur in Canada

each year statistics from the Ministry

of Labour report the following causes of

critical accidents collision 47 percent

load shifting or load falling 16 percent

loading or unloading forklift eight

percent person falling from lift truck

seven percent overcome by carbon

monoxide six percent operator or worker

falling or jumping from lift truck five

percent tip over and rollovers four

percent accidents unloading dogs four

percent explosions three percent with

numbers like these and the cost of

accidents it's no wonder that the labor

laws require that employers give proper

training to all their lift truck

operators also only

trained and authorized personnel can

operate a specific piece of equipment

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when you put your life in the hands of

professionals you do not want them to

cut corners pilots for example use a

checklist to do a pre-flight inspection

before every flight 99 times out of a

hundred everything checks out ok but it

is the pre-flight inspection that

contributes greatly to safe air travel

it's the operators responsibility to

inspect the lift truck before the

beginning of each shift and keep a

written record at times this task may

seem unimportant however six point one

percent of accidents are caused by

improper maintenance procedures the

objective of the inspection is to look

for damage and to make sure the truck is

in safe operating condition and meets

the manufacturer's specifications a good

place to begin an inspection is at the

fuel source in the case of an electric

truck start at the battery with a

propane truck begin with the liquid

propane cylinder make sure the locating

pin is in place and the pressure relief

valve is pointing upwards check the fuel

level don't take a chance on running out

where it is dangerous to refuel check

the connectors and hoses then listen

smell and look for leaks frosting will

indicate even the smallest leak be

careful touching this with your bare

hands can cause a serious frost burn

check the cylinder tie-down latches to

make sure the propane cylinder is secure

open up the engine cover and inspect the

engine compartment and fluid levels

check - battery the engine oil

transmission fluid the fan belts and

hoses it's important that they are not

frayed or worn check the brake fluid

reservoir hydraulic oil level the

radiator coolant and finally inspect the

air filter a dirty filter can increase

harmful or poisonous exhaust gases close

the engine cover and secure the propane

cylinder

next inspect the tires and wheels on the

right side of the truck ensure the

overhead guard is in good shape

are the lug bolts present and tight to

the touch if not call for repairs loose

or missing lug bolts can cause damage to

the truck or injure someone remember do

not operate the lift truck until repairs

are made

are there chunks of tire missing cuts or

objects embedded in the tires

how about wire plastic strapping string

or foreign objects lodged in behind the

wheel these can cause costly damage or

serious injury if you're inspecting a

truck with pneumatic tires check the air

pressure as outlined in the operator's

manual and under inflated tire will lean

the truck to one side and will decrease

stability notice that when the load is

being lifted it is actually moving away

from the center of the truck it wouldn't

take too much to tip this truck over

examine the mast and forks the forks

must be level look for excessive wear or

cracks in the hanger welding or in the

heel the forks must be evenly spaced and

the fork pins lock into place equal

tension in the lift chains is important

this will prevent uneven lifting verify

that the chain is well lubricated

inspect the hydraulic tilt cylinders and

lift cylinders they must be free from

leaking hydraulic fluid inspect the

hoses around the mast this is where

leaks often start make sure the mast

channel is free of foreign objects such

as pieces of wood or wire complete a

thorough examination of the wheels and

tires on the left side of the truck

to start the engine make sure the

parking brake is on listen for any

unusual noises as the engine warms up

pull the lift lever and fully raise and

lower the forks to ensure free movement

of the mast

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once the forks have been lowered test

the side shifter for any attachments if

installed tilt the mast back and forth

making sure all hydraulic movements are

smooth and operational

release the parking brake and drive

forward or reverse about 20 feet in

total ensuring the steering and brakes

are working properly

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check the brakes the brake pedal must

not reach the floorboard if it does the

brakes are not functioning properly and

the truck should be taken out of

operation until repaired when finished

turn off the engine and apply the

parking brake look under the truck to

check for any oil leaks oil patches can

cause serious injury to pedestrians next

inspect the horn lights and gauges

observe pedestrian warnings and any

other electrical systems your truck

might have a lift truck cannot be put

into service until it has a legible

manufacturer's nameplate securely

fastened make sure the seat belt is not

frayed or torn and that it latches

properly all safety labels and

instructions must be in place and

readable the overhead guard and Load

backrest extension are important safety

features make sure they are in place and

secure finally complete and file an

operator checklist and report any

defects to your supervisor in writing if

you're on the job and notice that your

truck is unsafe to operate park it and

tag it out of operation report specific

problems to your supervisor remember

failure to do this could cause injury to

yourself and to the employees working

around you

a typical counterbalance lift truck has

a three-point suspension system the rear

axle pivots at a single point in the

center of the axle to compensate for

uneven floors this forms the stability

triangle base with the added dimensions

of lift height it forms a

three-dimensional triangle similar to a

pyramid when the combined center of

gravity stays within the triangle the

truck is stable move the center of

gravity forward of the triangle as when

a load is too heavy or too high the

truck will tip forward this is called

longitudinal stability

over one-quarter of all lift truck

fatalities occur when a lift truck tips

over understanding the principle of

lateral stability will reduce the chance

of your truck falling sideways what do

you think is a lift truck more stable

with a load or without a load while

turning

as this lift truck turns with a load the

combined center of gravity moves towards

the edge of the triangle now notice what

happens when we complete a similar turn

this time without a load notice the

center of gravity is much closer to the

edge of the triangle the closer it is

the less it takes for the truck to

become unbalanced and tip over this is

why an unloaded truck should be operated

just as carefully while cornering let's

look at some causes of tip overs sharp

turns raised masts unstable loads

potholes uneven surfaces wet surfaces

and driving on ramps to name a few on

October 17th 1994 Scott was operating a

lift truck outside he was attempting to

pick up a load of empty pallets while

making a sharp turn he hit a small

pothole

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Scot was fortunate he had been properly

trained he knew how to best survive a

tip over situation first of all Scot was

wearing a seatbelt when the lift truck

tipped he stayed inside the operator

compartment his best chance for survival

he braced his feet and held on tight to

the steering wheel with both hands while

leaning in the opposite direction of the

fall

Scot was able to escape with minor

injuries never attempt to jump out of

your lift truck if you encounter a tip

over head Scot tried to jump clear of

the truck the overhead guard would have

struck him crushing him to death

when a lift truck is in motion the

dynamic forces such as lifting tilting

turning and stopping can cause the

combined center of gravity to move

outside the stability triangle causing

the lift truck to tip over use slow and

gentle maneuvers when operating a lift

truck this will keep the combined center

of gravity inside the stability triangle

and all of your wheels on the ground

keep your balance your life depends on

it

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keeping your balance you have to do it

even when you're playing this mother

must think about load distribution and

center of gravity just to keep this

teeter-totter moving a lift truck works

much like a teeter totter

the heavy counterweight on the back

keeps the rear wheels on the ground as

you can see from this diagram the front

wheels act as a fulcrum between the

counterweight and the load just like the

pivot point of a teeter totter it's the

same principle of leverage that allows a

young child to lift her mother now let's

look at loads every object has a center

of gravity these three loads are all the

same weight but because of their

different shape they have a different

center of gravity or balance point when

a lift truck picks up a load the center

of gravity of the truck and the center

of gravity of the load will produce the

combined center of gravity the combined

center of gravity will move in the same

direction that the load moves now by law

every lift truck must have a capacity

plate or nameplate this shows the

maximum weight it is allowed to lift

this truck can lift 5,000 pounds based

on the load having a 24 inch load Center

the load center is the distance from the

face of the forks to the center of

gravity of the load in this example this

5,000 pound truck with a 24 inch load

Center will attempt to lift this 5,000

pound load however because of the

unusual shape of the load the center of

gravity of the load is 30 inches from

the face of the forks notice how the

rear wheels lift off the ground when the

capacity of the truck is exceeded now

if the truck lifts the load from the

opposite side the center of gravity of

the load is only 18 inches from the face

of the forks this load can now be safely

lifted

the capacity plate or nameplate will

also show the maximum lifting height the

higher the lift the lower the capacity

attachment such as this carton clamp

actually reduce the capacity in two ways

first the carton clamp moves the load

away from the operator reducing load

capacity secondly the weight of a clamp

will further reduce load capacity this

4000 pound truck will now be rated or

limited to lifting a load of 2500 pounds

or less if a new mast is installed that

changes the maximum lifting height or if

an attachment is changed or installed a

new capacity plate or nameplate must be

requested and installed