Scary Forklift Accidents - and How to Prevent Them
October is the scariest time of year. What's the scariest thing any of us can think of in our industry? A forklift accident.
No one wants an accident to happen on their watch. The good news is, if we know what kinds of accidents happen most often, we can act to prevent them.
How? By putting safeguards in place, informing the team of their use, and verifying those safeguards work regularly.
You may have some safeguards now, and if so, good. Will they cover the most common accidents? Let's go through the top 5 to make sure.
The 5 Most Common Forklift Accidents
1. Forklift crashing into racks or pallets. This accident type can range from merely annoying, to catastrophic! You may have seen videos of entire warehouse racks toppling from one bump by a distracted forklift operator. Such as this one:
Hopefully the forklift operator made it out of this terrible mess! Link to original on YouTube.
TIP TO AVOID – Stopping a rack failure is more a question of rack safety than forklift operation. This rack clearly wasn't secured! To avoid it, check all rack for secure bolts and stability supports.
2. Forklift slipping & falling on product, or a person. An operator takes a corner too fast, they encounter moisture or debris on the floor, and the forklift can come crashing down!
Overturns are the #1 cause of fatalities involving forklifts. The most common causes? Improper operation, such as driving with an elevated load.
TIPS TO AVOID – Designate all forklift routes using floor markers. Keep these clear of all debris. Check forklifts' tires for any damage or flat spots. Check masts for stability. Enforce training requirements.
3. Forklift falling off a dock. Docks aren't as stable as a warehouse floor under a forklift's tires. Even a small swerve can send a truck tumbling.
TIP TO AVOID – Install dock bumpers. Make sure dock surface matches up to forklift tires as well...you don't want to use smooth cushion tires on a smooth metal dock.
4. Load slips off forks. The one time someone forgets to tie a load down, is the time said load crashes to the floor.
Photo courtesy of MyInjuryAttorney.com.
TIP TO AVOID – Make secure tie-downs available to all operators. Include their proper use in training too. Check pallet weights on an interval, to make sure no one's overloading them.
5. Operator distraction. An operator can become distracted just as easily as anyone else. A phone notification, boredom…even fatigue can lead to distraction. It only takes one moment for an accident to occur.
Not only is this operator about to hit a co-worker, he's not wearing his helmet or seat belt. Without these he's at risk every minute he's in the forklift (and so is everyone else).
TIP TO AVOID – Enforce annual forklift safety training on proper operation. Send out reminders on safe conduct quarterly (even reminders to take breaks).
Hopefully you've never experienced any of these accidents. They happen though, and frequently enough that OSHA recently raised their fines for safety violations.
Now we must contend with fines like these:
- $12,934 for a serious safety violation.
- Willful or repeated violations garner a $129,336 fine.
- If a facility fails to correct problems post-violation, they receive a Failure to Abate penalty, which costs $13,653 per day past the abatement date.
All the more reason not to have any accidents on your watch!
Avoid Forklift Accidents with Safeguards and Safety Training
The holidays will get here before we know it. We may see an unusual holiday shipping schedule, but it'll still be busy.
No matter what, one thing stays the same: Our desire for all of our forklift customers to stay safe and avoid serious accidents.
For regular training that preserves team safety, call your nearest FMH Material Handling Solutions office! Each location holds training courses.
Full schedule and details at our Safety Training page.