labor lawAdivision of labor law center

About 1.5 million Americans routinely operate forklifts as a function of their jobs.  State and federal government agencies charged with overseeing worker safety have issued regulations to safeguard the operators of these machines but these regulations aren’t always followed adequately, leading to safety risks on the job, according to an article recently published in a safety magazine issued by the state.

Arizona worker safety statistics indicate accidents involving forklifts are quite often the cause of serious injury on the job.  The machinery’s operator and coworkers in the area face injury, even death, when a forklift isn’t properly loaded.

Proper loading of forklifts involves the center of gravity of the load to be moved.  The center of gravity is located within a certain distance from both the base of the forklift and the height of the load.  Forklifts are most often manufactured with a center of gravity measured at 24”, 36”, and 48” and the center of gravity changes accordingly with each size.

An overloaded forklift is a danger in the workplace, too.  Even a load weighing less than the maximum poses a risk to worker safety however when it is loaded too high, off center, or too far forward of the machine’s center of gravity.

Each forklift is equipped at the factory with a data plate defining the machine’s center of gravity and maximum load weight.  Disregarding this vital information can lead to severe consequences for the operator and his or her coworkers.

Some industries, particularly manufacturing, have need to modify the forklifts in operation on the job.  In such cases, written approval issued by the machine’s manufacturer must be obtained before any modifications are made.  Sometimes requests for modification are denied for safety reasons.

In the event the manufacturer denies a request for modification, a Registered Professional Engineer is qualified to authorize modifications but only after a thorough safety analysis is conducted that includes addressing the issues that the manufacturer cited as grounds for denial.

Any time a forklift is modified for use on a job, the data plate information must be updated accordingly before it is allowed back in operation.

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