Forklift Safety Day Reminds Us That Safety Is Job One!
June 11 is the 11th annual celebration of Forklift Safety Day. Created by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) and dedicated to reminding everyone involved with forklifts–including operators, fleet managers, and warehouse personnel–that while forklifts are incredibly versatile and capable machines, they can also be dangerous–and even deadly–if not properly operated and maintained. Forklift safety must be a priority for all forklift operators, but forklift fleet managers, warehouse managers, manufacturing plant managers, and on-the-floor workers need to play their parts to ensure safe forklift operation.
It’s a sobering statistic that each year, between 75 and 100 people lose their lives in forklift accidents. And that number is growing. So, Forklift Safety Day is a good time to look at the resources available to help you ensure that your forklifts are operated safely and productively.
At Apex, we take safety seriously and offer a broad menu of resources to help keep your team safe and your operation running smoothly.
APEX Forklift & Warehouse Safety Blogs
We’ve covered a wide range of forklift safety issues in our blogs. You can visit the entire list of our blogs here, but here are those that specifically deal with safety:
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How to Safely Move a Disabled Forklift
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APEX Forklift Safety and How-To Videos
Includes Clark pre-shift Inspection video and videos about safe forklift operation around racks.
Apex Pre-shift Checklists
OSHA Forklift Regulations
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides extensive material on forklift safety and the potential hazards related to forklift use. It provides recommendations for the safe operation of vehicles and safety guidelines for personnel working around forklifts. OSHA has also partnered with the Industrial Truck Association to produce additional material about safe forklift operation. Additionally, in cooperation with the UAW-Ford National Joint Committee on Health and Safety, OSHA also provides Sample Daily Checklists for Powered Industrial Trucks for various powered trucks, such as electric forklifts, yard forklifts, reach pickers, and more.
- Hazards and Solutions in the Operation of Powered Industrial Trucks
- OSHA Alert – Protect Workers Operating or Working Near Forklifts (2019)
- OSHA Quick Card – Safe Forklift Operation (2019)
OSHA/ITA Alliance
The OSHA-ITA Alliance also provides safety guidelines the two organizations developed jointly. See Products and Resources related to safe forklift operation.
Forklift drivers should be well-versed on the proper operation and maintenance of the specific forklift they are driving and understand the alerts and signals the forklift is sending that might indicate a safety problem. The best way to achieve that is to be thoroughly familiar with the vehicle’s user manual.
Operator training is also a non-negotiable factor in operating a safe forklift fleet. And this goes for experienced forklift drivers–who need to be certified every three years, or when they transition to a different vehicle, and new forklift drivers who need to be certified before they can top their access badge on their forklift’s screen. Apex offers all the training your company needs to certify new forklift operators and re-certify veterans.
Let’s all make Forklift Safety Day a reason to ramp up our efforts to ensure safe and efficient forklift operation!