Forklifts as a safety hazard

Transcription

1 Forklifts as a safety hazard Learn why forklifts are so dangerous, and how you can mitigate the risk of forklift accidents

2 Introduction Forklifts represent a costly investment, because they require a large initial capital expenditure and cost thousands to keep running. While they are an indispensable piece of equipment for the businesses that use them, forklifts can often be a great liability. This is because they can inflict astounding amounts of damage to warehouse product, doors, and walls while operating. On a daily basis, company facilities represent the most common type of casualty but the most worrying risk is the forklift s potential to cause human injury. Unlike cars, forklifts need to be driven down narrow alleyways in reverse throughout the course of the day. It s a tough job, but there s no room for error. Forklifts can maim and even kill people in the event of an unfortunate accident. Forklifts are a major cause of serious injury in Victorian workplaces. On average about 250 people are still seriously injured by forklifts every year, and there are many more near misses. They are powerful, heavy, and inherently unstable pieces of equipment. They pose risks to both drivers and people walking on areas they are used in. - WorkSafe Victoria Forklifts are a major cause of serious injury in Victorian workplaces. They are powerful, heavy, and inherently unstable pieces of equipment. They pose risks to both drivers and people walking on areas they are used in. A US study by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came to some even more disturbing conclusions: OSHA estimates that there are 110,000 accidents each year! A person dies every 3 days, and a person is hurt every 6 minutes by forklift operation.each year, an additional 94,750 injuries related to forklift accidents are reported. Approximately every 3 days, someone in the US is killed in a forklift related accident. Approximately 31,600 employees suffer some type of injury! Losses affect employees through physical and mental suffering! Almost 80% of forklift accidents involve a pedestrian o 18.8% of forklift accidents occur when a forklift strikes a pedestrian. One in six of all workplace fatalities in this country are forklift related. Approximately 70% of all accidents reported could have been avoided with proper safety.

3 3 Red Flags to Avoid Injury So how can you avoid a forklift injury accident? According to Bottom Line Loss Control, there are 3 red flags to look out for: 1. Property damage 2. Equipment damage First, your forklift will damage things like: Product Warehouse racks Broken pallet boards Doors hit Poles hit Protection barriers hit If this is ignored, it s only a matter time before your forklift will hurt a person. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported that 80% of forkliftrepair and maintenance costs are due to operator abuse of equipment. The main causes of equipment breakdown are: Vibration (travel with excessive speed on uneven surfaces, or hard contact with heavy objects) Heat often caused by incorrect battery use Pushing the forklift beyond its design intents (eg. picking up over-capacity loads, or bulldozing pallets on the floor) If your fleet is always being repaired, it s a sure sign that forklift operators are not driving theirequipment in a safe manner. 3. People complaints When someone (usually an employee) reports that a forklift operator is dangerous, often there are others who feel same way but don t come forward. However a full investigation needs to take place to ensure the operator is safe. When you see these warning signs, act fast so you can nip the unsafe behaviour of your forklift operator in the bud. BLLC also advise that employers should eliminate the risks of potential injury by the 3 methods opposite. This will not only reduce the risk of an accident occurring, but will protect your assets in a lawsuit. Taking control: Management is responsible for making sure forklift operators work in a safe, efficient manner. Do not violate regulations for forklift operations. Training: Train forklift operators effectively. You need to make sure that information is easily understood, presented in a multimedia format, and consistently enforced. Just telling them is not enough, because it s your responsibility to provide a safe work environment and minimise risks to people at the worksite. Enforce what you train and document everything. Monitoring behaviours and disciplining poor behaviour: Show how serious you are about how forklifts are operated. Investigate close calls and resolve behaviours. Discipline must be quick, progressive and uniform in nature.

4 It s important to note that while these tips are a good way to reduce injuries, they aren t enough to ensure safety. In fact, according to the previously mentioned US study: Methods used to reduce forklift accidents include: driver training, safety procedures, equipment maintenance, and restricted/designated areas of operation, facility design. While these strategies will always be elements of workplace!safety programs, collision statistics clearly indicate that training, signage, and floor markings for traffic control are not enough to assure a safe environment. To help reduce maintenance costs, you could consider replacing your frequently damaged equipment with something better equipped to deal with forklift collisions. After all, allowing things to continue as is poses a threat to your bottom line, as the cost of repairing damage caused by forklift accidents can reach staggering heights. In fact, OSHA found that USD $135,000,000 immediate costs are incurred due to forklift accidents. OSHA found that USD $135,000,000 immediate costs are incurred due to forklift accidents Staples Australia faced a similar issue in their Melbourne warehouse. The roller shutter doors they had in place were getting damaged by forklifts and were not able to be closed. As a result, frequent maintenance was needed so the damaged doors would not pose a threat for security, pest and dust control. This not only resulted in production downtime, it was costing the company repair costs and logistics headaches. We would spend anywhere between $6-12K on average per annum, just in door repairs. And cleaning the warehouse from dust and vermin residue took two weeks every quarter this was dusting from top to bottom including the stock and so forth. Larry Mizzi, Facilities Manager. Mr. Mizzi realised that installing high-speed roller doors that could deal well with accidents and collisions was the best way to help improve traffic movement and efficiencies in operations. The new doors reduced forklift damage to equipment, allowing Mr. Mizzi to cut back on maintenance costs. Although it s still early days, I think the cost for repairs for collision damages is going to drastically change, as well as the cost involved for warehouse environmental cleaning of stock. Larry Mizzi, Facilities Manager To read Staples complete case study, please click here.

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