Safety Tips on Driving a Forklift: 5 Forklift Safety Rules Explained

You may have a huge worksite with frequently used machinery to move tons of items and lift heavy stuff in your company’s warehouse. Forklifts, also known as lift trucks, are a saviour for businesses that need to move or shift large and heavy materials and equipment, usually over short distances. They use a powerful hydraulic system to lift and lower large objects and devices, making these industrial trucks indispensable vehicles at warehouses, manufacturing units, and construction sites.

So, if you have recently invested in a forklift for your business’s warehouse, manufacturing plant, construction site, or storage facility, you must know some safety rules. You should be able to handle efficient and safe transportation of goods without causing mishaps. Therefore, to ensure safety and protection for your employees and property, you should train your forklift users to drive the vehicle correctly and safely.

5 Safety Tips and Rules for Driving a Forklift Machine

Your employees must master the skill of using these industrial lift trucks to lift and transport goods in and around your manufacturing unit or warehouse with precision. Forklifts are powerful vehicles that can handle heavy loads safely and quickly, thus increasing speed, productivity, and efficiency. They also help reduce labour costs by automating repetitive tasks and using your warehouse space best.

Shop around to get a good deal on forklift machine rental to ease your lifting jobs of heavy goods and materials. However, you need to operate a lift truck correctly to ensure your employees and goods are safe. Here are the five safety rules you should know and teach to the workers operating forklifts in your organisation’s manufacturing unit, warehouse, or plant.

Wear Proper Clothing

Instruct your forklift operators on the necessity of wearing appropriate safety equipment and clothing, such as hard hats, safety shoes (like steel-toe boots or shoes), a bright-colored visibility jacket (or other reflective clothing or PPE), eye protection goggles, gloves, etc. Discourage your workers from wearing bulky or loose clothing while operating the forklift to prevent it from getting caught in the vehicle’s parts, thus preventing accidents.

Furthermore, ensure that your forklift drivers wear acid-resistant clothing, protecting them while working around batteries or acidic substances. Their tight-fitted, acid-resistant clothing, safety eyeglasses, and gloves should save them from potential acid spills, thus preventing accidents.

Get Forklift Certified

Only trained and certified personnel must be allowed to drive a forklift machine. Getting your operators certified ensures legal compliance, workplace safety, and work efficiency by enhancing their skills and safety knowledge to drive a lift truck. Besides, your forklift operator must know their roles and responsibilities before starting the operation, and they should be aware of the importance of following safety procedures.

Sadly, many manufacturing plants and construction site accidents occur due to improper forklift safety training or certification. So, training your forklift operators and getting them certified is your duty as an employer to minimise the risks of accidental injury, thus ensuring workplace safety.

Get them licensed and trained according to the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards before letting them drive a diesel forklift. Furthermore, you must evaluate the performance of all your forklift operators every 2–3 years. To reduce pitfalls and boost their skill sets and knowledge, you can conduct regular lectures, safety videos, demonstrations, and software training on the usage of a forklift machine.

Inspect the Vehicle Regularly

Before operating a forklift, develop the habit of inspecting it every day before use. Assign dedicated shift supervisors to perform daily checks to detect any potential loopholes or defects in the equipment. Any vehicle that requires repair or replacement (no matter how minor the issue or damage is) must not be operated until the problem is sorted and it is properly functional again.

Here’s a quick checklist to ensure forklift safety before starting operations each day. It is compliant with OSHA recommendations and standards.

• Examine all operating control systems, including the steering wheel, brakes, horn, and lights.
• Test tire pressure and fluid levels of the engine, fuel, hydraulic, coolant, and brake.
• Check whether the forks are in good working condition, that is, they have no cracks or distortion and are in a straight and upright shape.
• Identify any oil, water, or radiator leaks.
• Examine the condition of the overhead guard and mast and ensure no damage to these parts.
• Watch out for any potential danger or hazards, such as worn-out tires, faulty brakes, malfunctioning lights, broken or cracked forks, missing parts, etc.

Also, train your forklift drivers about the class or type of their particular vehicle to ensure they know their device well. It will help them learn about specific functions, controls, and safety practices while operating the device.

Know Your Forklift Capacity

Have the supervisor check whether the forklift machine is not overloaded beyond its recommended capacity. Maintain this allowed capacity and avoid exceeding the equipment's counterweight. Hauling too much weight may cause the forklift’s rear wheels to rise above the ground and dislocate. Therefore, avoid overloading it to minimise the chances of a machine falling due to the unique functioning of a fork truck.

Similarly, ensure that the driver never carries extra personnel while riding on the fork truck unless there is a second seat. Also, discourage them from lifting people using their diesel forklift, as it is designed to carry heavy goods and materials only. Operators can only lift individuals if the truck has a specially designed safety cage or platform while following safety protocols.

Maintain Complete Visibility

Train your forklift drivers to keep the equipment low to the ground. This ensures complete 360° visibility, especially forward visibility. The driver must have a good view of the rack and the fork while lifting and positioning the goods.

Moreover, here are a few more best practices and safety protocols defined by OSHA.

• Drivers must always look in the direction they are travelling.
• They must make proper eye contact with other workers and pedestrians.
• They must utilise the rearview mirrors for improved visibility.
• Forklift operators should use headlights whenever needed, especially while working at night or in low-light conditions.

Conclusion

So, even if you own the most advanced 10-ton forklift in your manufacturing unit or warehouse, it won’t serve the desired purpose if you don’t train your operators. Besides, before signing a deal for a forklift for rent, ensure that the device you opt for is thoroughly checked and examined for damages or malfunctions, to ensure safety for your employees and materials.