Fork Lift Safety Checks And How To Avoid Fork Lift Accidents

Fork lift trucks are very dangerous pieces of equipment and the proper healthy and safety rules and regulations need to be followed accordingly

. These regulations state that daily checks need to be carried out on the fork lift and more thorough checks to be conducted on a weekly and monthly basis. Here is a look at some of the checks that need to be performed.

Fork Lift Brakes - one of the most important fork lift parts that needs to be double and tripled checked are the brakes. Check the brakes using different pedal height and pressure to see how sensitive the brakes are, and also check that the brake lights on the fork lift are working correctly as well.

The Tyres - all the tyres on the fork lift need to be checked properly as this can also affect the braking system. Check that the tyres are inflated to a good pressure and no nails or pins are puncturing the tyres.

Controller - test the fork lift controller system is working accurately by operating the forks and the release. Any problems or qualms need to be reported and fixed immediately before the fork lift can be used for working purposes.

Steering Wheel - the operator must check the fork lift steering wheel to ensure it is accurate and is responding well. This fork lift part is very important to the safety of the machine. Different checks are carried out to ensure the turning of the wheel is correct.

Engine Oil - remove the dip stick from the fork lift engine to check the engine oil levels and its colour. If the level of the oil is low this needs to be reported and the oil refilling, and if the colour of the oil is off this can be an indication of contamination.

Fire Extinguisher - all fork lift trucks should be equipped with a fire extinguisher in the event of a fire. The fire extinguisher needs to be checked in the proper way depending on the type of fire extinguisher such as a dry chemical extinguisher needs to be shaken.

A fork lift truck is a pivotal piece of machinery to many businesses and industries and the running of these companies will come to a halt if their fork lift cannot be used. Although a fork lift is a very useful machine they are also very dangerous and need to be treated with a lot of respect and care. 10% of all accidents in a work place which uses a forktruck involves the fork lift in some form or another either directly or indirectly. A fork lift is a very heavy and powerful machine and so when an accident does occur with one it can cause some serious injury and sometimes it can even be fatal. This is why it is absolutely imperative that safety precautions are put into place to avoid accidents and injury with a fork lift truck.

The most common accidents when it comes to a fork lift is hitting or running over another person while the fork lift is motion, goods not being stable on the truck and falling on to another person, the fork lift turning over due to uneven and unsafe floors, and the fork lift being overloaded causing it to capsize.

Training fork lift operators and employees of these main pitfalls will eliminate certain accidents from occurring in the future but there are other preventions to consider as well. For example it is a common practice for employers to limit the speed of the fork lift so that the operator cannot surpass a certain speed. The faster a vehicle is going in an accident the more severe the outcome and so if the truck is only going at a slow pace even if an accident does occur the result will be less than if the truck was travelling twice or three times as fast. Limiting the velocity of the fork lift will also increase the chances of the accident never occurring. The operator will have time to stop the machine before impact and because the fork truck was travelling slowly the machine will stop faster.

There are many other ways to avoid fork lift accidents in the work place they just need putting into place.

by:DebbieOldham

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