labor lawAdivision of labor law center

With around 1.5 million workers in the United States involved in operating forklifts as part of their job, an Ohio worker safety article will be of great interest.

The article, which was written by a safety consultant, highlights the hazards involved in working with forklifts, and points out that they are a common cause of fatalities and serious injuries.

Forklifts, or Powered Industrial Trucks (PITS) as they are also known as, are used widely in most industries. They often have specialized modifications that are attached to them, and these can prove to be one of the hazards concerned. Workers need to realize that attachments can alter the load bearing capacity of the forklift. To this end, the tags or decals on the equipment should be changed to signify the change in capacity.

Attachments commonly used on forklifts are hoppers, drum carriers, rug rams, drum rotators, cylinder caddies, drum grippers and boom extensions. These are all common place in the manufacturing industry.

Under current worker safety standards, if a forklift operator is involved in an accident or “near miss” they are required to undergo retraining. This also applies if an operator is seen to be operating a forklift in an unsafe manner. The OSHA standards also state that all forklift operators should undergo retraining and evaluation on a regular basis.

When carrying a load using a forklift, the operator should ensure that it is carried as low as possible while moving. Any change in the steering, for example, if it seems “light” can mean that the operator has little control over the equipment.

Adding extra weight to the back of the forklift does not compensate for an instable vehicle. It has the effect of shifting the forklifts center of gravity to the rear axel, which is an unstable power pivot point.

Forklift operators need to be aware of load carrying hazards involved in their job. The weight of any attachments must be calculated and counted as part of their overall load. 

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