Forklift operation guidelines

Transcription

1 Description Forklift operation guidelines introduction As a *** Forklift Operator you have certain occupational health and safety responsibilities, these responsibilities are: - To work safely. - To suggest health and safety improvements. - To report all accidents, incidents and near hits. These Guidelines have been developed to assist you in meeting these responsibilities. Once you have read the Guidelines, you will be asked to complete a set of questions to check your understanding of the requirements. Depending on the work that you do, there may be other Guidelines you will need to read and follow; your supervisor will discuss this with you. The forklift is the key piece of equipment in materials handling. As a forklift operator you carry out an important function in keeping goods and materials moving through the workplace. The safe and competent operation of a forklift is a skill, which, once acquired, demands both mental and physical alertness to maintain a desirably high degree of safety with efficiency. Your skill as an operator is of concern to everyone in the workplace; firstly to always anticipate hazards which will endanger you or our fellow workers; and secondly to drive and operate

2 to reduce damage to goods or materials due to your actions at the controls. In relation to the use and operation of a forklift, managers, supervisors and operators must abide by the relevant Occupational Health& Safety legislation, as well as specific legislation in relation to forklifts or any other associated Acts and Regulations and these Guidelines. operator health Various conditions can impact your eligibility to operate a forklift safely these can include cardiovascular conditions, chronic alcohol abuse, the use of drugs, some psychiatric disorders, some neurological conditions, neuromuscular disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsonism, cognitive impairment, head injuries, syncope, sleep disorders, vision and eye disorders, hearing disorders, vertigo, locomotor disabilities, or diabetes. If you suffer from any of these conditions you must advise your supervisor, who will arrange for a medical assessment with a *** appointed doctor, to ensure you still meet the requirements. exercises While waiting for loading or unloading, or during a break, take a walk around, stretch you could even

3 try some of the following exercises: Lower Back Arches - Put your hands in the small of your back. Gently lean backwards. Truck Twist - With feet shoulder width apart and arms folded at the front of your body and held up to shoulder height - slowly and gently twist the upper body to the left and then to the right. Shoulder Rolls - Standing, keep your arms relaxed by your side. Rotate shoulders in as a full a range of movements as possible - up, back, forwards and backwards. Elbow Pull - With one hand touch the other side of the back of shoulder. To have an extra stretch place your hand on elbows and gently push down. Neck Stretches - Moving your neck, look down, look left, look right. Slow Walk - Walk on the spot by placing your weight

4 on the balls of your feet. Continue to alternate right and left sides. what contributes to forklift accidents? Time most accidents occur soon after starting work, or just before finishing and the 10 minutes prior to and after meal breaks. Equipment using forklifts for tasks they are not designed for. Environment uneven ground or wet conditions. Drivers complacency, carelessness, inexperience or ignorance of consequences. Loads ignoring hazardous loads. People people working in forklift traffic areas not being aware of their presence or being ignorant about how they operate. authority to drive Only authorised persons who are holders of a forklift licence may drive or operate a forklift. HSE F04.2_9 Forklift Competency must be successfully completed by all operators when employed if they hold a Forklift License mandatory checks before operating

5 Before Starting Mast, carriage & chains secure, undamaged & adjusted Forks level & undamaged Load Guard secure and undamaged Tyres front & back, should adequately inflated Overhead Guard secure & undamaged Head, tail & Indicator Lights secure & undamaged Counterweight secure LPG Bottle (if fitted) secure, connections tight and gas turned on, date stamp within 10 years Overhead Guard secure & undamaged Step clean and non-slip Seat secure & in reasonable condition Data/Rating Plate fitted & readable Check Fluid Levels engine oil, transmission oil, hydraulic oil, cooling water, battery level, brake fluid, fuel level Attachments sound and secure, allowed by Data Plate Mirrors In Good Condition (No cracks, clean) Fork On Start engine listen for strange noises

6 Engine at idle visually check emission Gauges & instruments operating, undamaged Hydraulics mast raise, lower, tilt Hand brake check and adjust Foot brake check pedal travel Steering turn lock to check for slackness Horn operating Lights operating Warning devices operating Seat Belt fitted & operational A Daily Forklift Checklist is available to you; these must be completed & signed every day. Your supervisor will then arrange to make any required repairs and file the Daily Forklift Checklist booklet when it is full. This ensures we meet our requirements with regard to legislation. regular preventive maintenance Records are kept on file for each forklift showing the service history of each machine. Service intervals will vary from site to site, depending on usage and environmental variables, however as a guide machines should be serviced at 3 monthly intervals. Make sure you know the service intervals for your forklift, if you don t ask. If you are aware that your

7 forklift requires preventive maintenance you need to advise your supervisor. Report all defects such as damaged forks, faulty tyres, flat pneumatic tyres, damaged solid tyres, faulty horns, defective brakes or steering, damaged seating etc. When the following defects are noted - do not drive and ensure keys are removed & given to your supervisor when advising the problem. Place an Out of Service Tag on the forklift indicating it is not to be driven. - Defective Brakes - Missing Guards (Overhead, Apron and Foot Guards) - Defective Steering

8 - Ineffective Hand Brakes - Damaged Hydraulic Hoses Other defective items reported must be repaired within a practical time period. Under no circumstances should you undertake repairs yourself. safe working loads (S.W.L) Know the safe working load (S.W.L) of the forklift as well as the details exhibited on the load notice plate. A forklift without a notice plate cannot be legally operated. Assess the load weight before lifting and stay within the rated capacity of the fork lift truck. All forklifts will have a Rated Capacity given at a load centre of 600mm. If the weight on the pallet is not evenly distributed the centre of gravity will shift. You must know the load centre of your load. safe driving practice - Be observant and keep alert. - Do not drive across an incline and only drive on a hard surface. The dynamic stability of a forklift carrying its rated load at full height can be significantly affected by floor imperfections that produce a height difference of more than 40 mm across the front wheels. - Do not operate internal combustion engines in

9 enclosed spaces where there is a danger from exhaust fumes. - Never lift people or carry passengers unless on an approved attachment (Work Platform). - Before and when reversing, look in the direction of travel. - Always watch that overhead clearances are sufficient. - Go slowly when reversing down ramps. Fast speeds on down inclines are dangerous.

10 - When approaching corners, slow down and sound the horn. Stop on blind corners. - Drive with the tines as low as possible. - Do not exceed site speed limit. - Always give pedestrians the right of way. - If a load blocks your view when travelling forward, travel in reverse. A guide must be used when visibility is restricted. - Stop, start and turn gently. Avoid fast turns and jerky stops. - Wear your seat belt. In the event that your forklift overturns do not try to jump from the cabin, this is the safest place to be, as it has been designed to protect you. Brace yourself with your feet; keep your hands on the steering wheel, if the truck is tilting sideways, lean against the direction of the tilt.

11 - Do not bring the machine to a stop in an abrupt manner. Always apply the brakes with care. It is difficult to stop quickly on wet or greasy surfaces. Loss of stability under braking is a significant cause for concern in forklift operation. Tests and computer modelling indicate that on a fully laden forklift the operator can only apply 30-50% of the available braking before tipping occurs. - Do not leave the machine without stopping the engine, applying the handbrake and lowering the tine or rollgrab. - Do not drive an unregistered forklift on a public road. - Do not interfere in any way with the mechanism of the appliance. - Make sure you are familiar with your Site Traffic Plan and that you comply with all the requirements of the plan. If you don t have a copy of this plan, obtain one from your supervisor. - Keys must never be left in an unattended forklift. safe lifting practices Ensure the load is within the capacity shown on the approved load notice plate (S.W.L) at all times.

12 - Never lift loads on one tine. - Only lift loads with one forklift. - Never put slings around tines. Use an approved jib attachment. - Check the pallet is in good order and capable of supporting the load. - Approach the load squarely and ensure that the load is trimmed centrally. - Ensure that the tines are fully engaged with the load against the fork apron. - Always lift loads with the mast vertical or on a backward tilt. - Do not elevate loads with the truck on an incline. - Only tilt forward when the load is immediately over the stack or when the machine is parked.

13 - Lower the load to the lowest point for travel. - Special care is needed when lifting long loads. attachments & stability - Attachments will affect the stability & the lifting capacity of the forklift. - The Rating Plate must give the lifting capacity for the forklift and the attachment you are using. You cannot fit an attachment to a forklift that has not been rated for it. - The weight and thickness of the attachment will reduce the lifting capacity. - Ensure that the attachment is correctly fitted and securely locked in position.

14 special attachments Special attachments should be used when handling: litre drums (Drum Clamps) - Extension of tines (Slippers) - Pushing pallets (Pallet Ram) - Paper Reels (Rollgrab) Special attachments shall be returned to designated storage area after use. working platforms Such platforms may be used only on an approved forklift and on the following conditions: - The relevant authority has approved the platform. - The supervisor for the use of the platform has given specific authority on each occasion it is used to raise an employee. - If the forklift is to be moved, the platform must first be lowered to its lowest position. - No ladder or other gear is to be used on or from the platform to gain additional height. fuelling with petrol/diesel - Park in close proximity to the pump - Smoking and/or sources of ignition are not

15 permitted within the pump facility. - Make sure motor of forklift is turned off before refuelling. - Immediately clean up any spillage of fuel to reduce slip hazard. fuelling with L.P. gas - Smoking and naked lights are prohibited in the fuelling area. - Park at fuelling area in proper manner hydraulics down and park brake on. - Use gloves and keep hands clear of cold liquid. - Bottles should be replaced at approx. 10%. changing bottles - Switch off engine. - Turn off cylinder valve. - Disconnect take-off hose. - Release straps holding bottle to vehicle. - Remove empty bottle and pack in rack. - Take new bottle and place in position on vehicle. - Check that fuel line will reach bottle coupling. - Secure bottle firmly in straps. - Reconnect take-off hose. - Open bottle main valve.

16 battery charging - Charging must be carried our in a well ventilated area. - Each charger should have its own power source with clear access to the switch. - Do not smoke or allow naked flames near charging batteries. - Do not allow metal objects to be in contact with the battery connections. - Use special protective clothing and eye protection when checking batteries. hazard identification All *** employees are required to identify hazards and work towards the removal of these hazards so they no longer present a risk in the workplace. All hazards that you cannot immediately fix yourself must be reported to your Team Leader/supervisor. You may report them verbally but a Hazard ID Form must also be filled in and handed to your team Leader /Supervisor. These are a *** HSE requirement and all employees are expected to be involved in these activities. incidents and near misses All Incidents and Near Misses must be reported, even

17 if there is no damage and no one is hurt. The only way for us to prevent accidents is to identify and control the hazards that cause them. Reporting incidents and near misses assists us to do this. Your supervisor will help you to complete an Hazard/Incident Report. You may also be asked to participate in the investigation of the incident or near miss. The purpose of these investigations is not to find someone to blame, it is to identify and control the hazard that resulted in the incident or near miss. summary In this booklet we have dealt briefly with a few simple rules of safe driving and safe operation of a fork lift truck. The person who is determined to become a proficient operator will apply themselves not only to learning and practising the rules illustrated, but will expand their skill and knowledge by applying themselves conscientiously to the task, using these rules as a basis, until everybody in the workplace refers to you as a professional.

18 Last Date Modified 23/04/2016 Reference Disclaimer myosh The information provided in the library is of a general nature only. It does not take your specific needs or circumstances into consideration. You should look at your own personal situation and requirements before deciding if it is appropriate to you. We recommend you also refer to your safety consultant. Classification Brief Description Category Type Industry Other Tags Country State Sort No Forklift operation guidelines Other Guidelines Construction and all Trades plant and equipment