Various work safety authorities continue to highlight the importance of forklift safety, with numerous workplace injuries and deaths still attributed to forklift-related incidents in recent years.
WorkSafe Victoria noted it received 142 claims in 2022. The biggest contributor was the transport, postal and warehousing industry, which accounted for 45 claims. The manufacturing and wholesale trade industries also experienced a high number of incidents, with 35 and 32 claims respectively.
WorkSafe Queensland also had a horror run in 2022, reporting three serious forklift incidents – including a fatality – in the space of four months. A safety report from SafeWork NSW meanwhile revealed an average of more than 250 forklift related incidents per year between 2017 and 2022.
“While forklifts are compact and manoeuvrable, they can become unstable when carrying loads,” warns SafeWork SA. “Fully laden, a standard two-tonne forklift can weigh approximately five tonnes. Even at low speeds, forklifts can cause serious injuries.”
The many risks associated with the operation of forklifts need to be carefully managed. It’s therefore important for businesses and employees to work together, to ensure that forklift safety is paramount in workplace policies and practices. Let’s take a look at some common risks and safety tips for all businesses that use forklifts.
Common risks
The most common forklift-related injuries are incurred by pedestrians being struck by a forklift in motion, closely followed by injuries that occur when operators are getting on or off the forklift. Other safety risks occur when forklift loads are improperly secured, or when forklifts tip over.
Eight people have died in the workplace in the past four years as a result of forklift incidents, including from forklifts tipping over, or from an employee falling from a raised cage or being struck by unsecured forklift loads.
It is worth noting there is a significant financial and legal risk to businesses where forklift related injuries occur. Nearly $700,000 in fines were imposed by the courts against companies and directors in 11 WorkSafe prosecutions last year. The director of one company is currently up on manslaughter charges after a forklift he was operating tipped and crushed a contractor.
Safety advice
Avoiding injury or death as a result of forklift operation is a combination of following basic safety rules, having clear policies and procedures around the operation of forklifts, and both employers and employees practicing vigilance and common sense whenever forklifts are in use.
Firstly, it’s important to ensure all operators are properly trained and qualified. Acclaimed Workforce not only supports developing comprehensive injury management and safety prevention policies, but also has hands-on experience providing training to forklift operators.
Given that many forklift-related industries involve pedestrians being struck, put in place exclusion zones. Use physical barriers such as fences, guardrails, boom gates, or even just brightly coloured floor markings, to indicate areas of safe passage for employees moving about by foot.
Make sure that all forklift loads are properly secured and always avoid overloading forklifts. An improperly secured or unbalanced load presents as much risk of death or injury to people loading or unloading a forklift, or working nearby, as the forklift itself does.
It is worth having a forklift safety checklist in place to make sure the forklift is in a safe condition to be used and that safe procedures are understood and followed by all employees operating or working in the vicinity of forklifts. WorkSafe Victoria provides a comprehensive forklift safety checklist that can be used as a basis for your procedures.
Distracted driving is dangerous
Forklift operators always need their hands and minds on the job and must avoid unnecessary distractions. In particular, mobile phones play a role in distracting forklift operators, taking their attention away from the task at hand, either briefly or for prolonged periods.
It is strongly advised to avoid using mobile phones when operating a forklift. Just as they are to drivers on the roads, mobile phones are a risky distraction to operators of forklifts.
Mobile phones can be distracting even when they aren't being used. Operators can lose control of their forklift when seeking to grab an unsecured item that is in danger of falling within the cab area. This might be a mobile phone, or it can be something as trivial as a pen. It is often a reflex response from the operator that takes one or both hands away from the controls.
It is advisable that forklift operators not to have any unsecured items – including mobile phones – within the cab area at any time.
Plan now to eliminate risk
Remember that forklift safety, like all workplace health and safety issues, is everyone’s responsibility. Managers should ensure there is a safety plan in place and communicate frequently with workers to identify and eliminate potential gaps in the plan. As always, consultation is key when it comes to identifying and removing workplace health and safety risks.
Acclaimed Workforce provides a range of injury prevention and safety management services that can be used to bolster safety initiatives in large organisations, or to deliver comprehensive safety solutions for small and medium enterprises.
Contact us to learn more about our ISO 45001 certified health and safety management services.
