Sunday, July 11, 2010

Tips on Working Safe Around Forklifts

-No standing between parked forklifts & large unmoving objects.
-Never walk under the elevated loads of a forklift.
-Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Forklifts can have quiet motors.
-Listen for horns & look for flashing lights.
-Stop at corners & doorways; look both ways just as on the street.
-Never hitch a ride on a fork. (Nunca pida que lo lleven en un montacargas.)
-Never engage in horseplay around a forklift. (Nunca bromee cerca del montacargas.)
-Let the forklift operator know if you are working nearby.
-Do not drive forks with the forks raised high.
-Post a set of forklift operating rules as required for forklift drivers to see.
-Give the right of way to pedestrians. Keeps arms, hands & legs inside your forklift.
-Park away from traffic on a flat surface. If you have to park on a slope, chock the forklift wheels. [Why?- A driver was crushed between a lift and a flatbed trailer. Parking on a sidewalk slightly higher than the truck he went to straighten pallets on the trailer, fork rolled forward, fatally pinned him between trailer’s edge & mast. Statistics from CA Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation Program (FACE).]