Operating forklift trucks safely should be a matter of routine yet hundreds of people are killed, disabled or maimed by vehicles every year. Removing the element of bad luck still leaves a catalogue of idiocy, neglect and poor training that should send a shiver down the spine of every factory manager.
As Marc Paxford, operator training manager at Toyota Material Handling UK, points out: "There are more than 800 accidents a year in the UK that involve a forklift. Even when an incident does not lead to a personal injury, it can still cause damage to trucks, infrastructure and goods, which means reduced productivity and burdensome costs. That's why it's important that you do everything you can to protect the people who operate forklifts or work alongside them."
Depressing picture in manufacturing
So much is obvious about the safety of forklift trucks that it's surprising they should be the cause of so many accidents. The picture in manufacturing is depressing – forklift truck accidents account for around a quarter of all work-related transport accidents. There were 811 over three-day injuries involving lift trucks in 2010/11, the latest period for which finalised figures are available.
It has been estimated that lift trucks injure almost as many people at work as vans, cars and HGVs combined, and someone in the UK is killed by a fork lift truck on average every six weeks. There are two big issues that impact on FLT safety – operator training and workplace design. Manage these effectively and you will be well along the road to safe lift truck practice.
By far the most important forklift safety feature is a fully trained driver. Well-taught lift truck operators are central to creating a culture of safety, says Paxford, adding: "As an employer you have a responsibility to ensure employees have adequate training on all necessary equipment. To that end, make sure you have a structured training programme that covers all areas of driver and site safety." The value of good lift truck driver training lies in its ability to cover:
- Truck types available and where they should be used.
- Basic operating procedures.
- Safe loading, transportation, manoeuvering and unloading of goods.
- Precautions needed when transporting hazardous materials or working close to them.
- Basic maintenance, refuelling and charging.
While external courses like those run by the Fork Lift Truck Association (www.fork-truck.org.uk), manufacturers and specialist training providers ensure proficiency, it's good practice to supplement them with in-house training that highlights safety-related situations peculiar to your site.
For the Health and Safety Executive, operator training should always include three stages:
- Basic training: the fundamental skills and knowledge required to operate a lift truck safely and efficiently.
- Specific job training: knowledge and understanding of the operating principles and controls of the lifttruck to be used and how it will be used in their workplace.
- Familiarisation training: applying what has been learnt, under normal working conditions, on the job.
The HSE offers a wealth of advice on operating trucks safety (see http://bit.ly/1I2KgUL). But it is not only enlightened working practice that helps prevent lift truck accidents. Manufacturers have also made a big contribution to safety by incorporating various features in their trucks. Apart from obvious kit like mirrors, beepers, lights and speed limiters, many also fit other safety devices.
Craig Johnson, Jungheinrich UK's marketing manager, explains: "[In large distribution centres], we are often asked to limit the lifting of forks to 600mm when travelling. So you can raise the pallet above the reach legs on a reach truck, for example, but you can't raise it any higher when you are travelling. This stops the driver from raising the forks to, say, 2m and travelling at speed – a dangerous practice that can result in turning the truck over."
Jungheinrich is also increasingly asked to fit its trucks with 'red spot' technology to alert pedestrians to an approaching vehicle. Johnson again: "This is particularly critical at aisle ends and intersections. A red dot is projected 3m ahead of the forklift and alerts anyone who might be approaching the end of an aisle that a fork truck is coming."
Personnel protection systems are another big development in the industry. These are laser-based systems that detect people close to a truck. Says Johnson: "They are now being fitted to virtually every type of truck... and operate on the basis of having 'zoned slowdowns'; for example, at 4m they slow down to twothirds speed, 2m its crawl speed, and at very close range it cuts the engine out."
How your shopfloor is configured – the second big lift truck safety issue – will have an enormous effect on how safe it is. However, one of the main consequences of poor workplace design is, says Toyota's Paxford, often expensive and disruptive damage: "This is not only damage to the truck, but also damage to infrastructure, the goods you are carrying, as well as possible injury to operators and pedestrians.
"Not only does damage cause issues relating to safety, but it can also affect day-to-day operation, productivity and efficiency levels."
Water damage – a common result of lift truck impacts – for example, can arise when a driver sideswipes a sprinkler system across mains, branch lines, risers or sprinkler heads. Impact damage can also lead to structural collapse. There have been cases where trucks have run into columns, knocking out the support beneath a section of roof, which then collapses into the factory. Not only do collisions with storage racks damage the racks themselves, but they also send expensive stock toppling to the floor.
And reckless or incompetent driving poses a considerable risk to fire doors; when an emergency occurs, the fire door may not operate properly, allowing fire to spread throughout the factory.
Ensure effective workplace design
To mitigate these problems, you need to ensure that plant and equipment is adequately protected through effectiveworkplace design. Measures you can take include barriers around fire doors and vulnerable equipment; bright coloured or warning signs painted on probable points of impact like sprinklers and overhead pipework, and ropes or metal strips suspended before overhead hazard points to create a noise.
The terrain the lift truck will encounter also has an impact on how safe it is. A truck can become unstable if it is tilted sideways, for example, by crossing the slope, or if the wheels run into a pothole or over an obstruction. Removing potholes and obstructions can save costly damage to parts being moved from one production process to the next – this is one example of safe practice making economic sense.
And then there is the obvious approach of separating pedestrians from the trucks with clearly marked walkways and railing barriers.
As a manager, you play a vital role in preventing losses, both human and material. You need to be aware of the hazards inherent in lift truck operation, ensure that the right trucks are used in the right areas, that physical barriers and warnings are in place, that maintenance is performed and most, important of all, that drivers understand and adhere to a safe working policy.
- FLTA – http://bit.ly/1dAa4uQ
- HSE – http://bit.ly/1bJjanK
- Jungheinrich – www.jungheinrich.co.uk
- Toyota Materal Handling UK – www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk
