october2024 - 20

Cargo Matters
their dislike for it. " Our response was
always positive, but to reinforce and
emphasize the legal, company and
operator requirements for their position.
A seatbelt is designed to keep
the worker inside the protective envelope
of the operator's compartment
in case of an accident, so there is no
negotiating regarding seatbelt use
and operator safety. At our former
employer (a Fortune 100 Company),
training included eight hours of classroom
and interactive training, after
be inspected by the driver at the
beginning of each shift. If not done at
the beginning of the shift, at a bare
minimum, they should be inspected
daily, if the equipment is used around
the clock. Operators should check for
any visible defects, including checking
the tires, forks, seat belts, brakes,
warning devices and fluid levels. An
operator on a previous shift might
not want to admit that they ran
into something or were involved in
an incident.
the truck is equipped with vertical
only or vertical and horizontal controls
for lifting.
Working Around Pedestrians
While possibly unavoidable, separate
fork truck and pedestrian traffic
wherever possible. This can be done
- if possible - by limiting some aisles
to workers on foot only or fork trucks
only, designated travel lanes in aisles,
and avoid storing bulk materials and
equipment in aisles where combined
traffic exists. Fork truck use should
be restricted near time clocks, break
rooms, cafeterias and main exits,
particularly when the flow of workers
on foot is at a peak (such as shift end,
lunch, or during breaks).
Install physical barriers (bollards,
A seatbelt is designed to keep the worker inside the protective
envelope of the operator's compartment in case of an accident.
which a written test with a minimum
passing score was administered. A
minimum of eight hours of hands-on
driving for each vehicle along with
a trainer under working conditions
was required with a final review and
evaluation. Finally, the driver was on
probation and observation by supervision
for a period of 60 days.
Fork Truck Inspection
and Maintenance
Fleet managers and operations
supervisors should establish a vehicle
inspection and maintenance
program. Every manufacturer has
recommendations for upkeep, performance
and inspections (daily,
monthly, quarterly, annual), but from
our experience, fork trucks should
If Lifting Personnel
- NOT Materials
Ensure only an approved lifting cage
is used and is inspected. Adhere to
required safety practices for elevating
personnel with a fork truck. Also,
the platform must be secured to the
lifting carriage or forks per the manufacturer's
instructions. Ideally, the
platform should be surrounded by
steel mesh and approved platform
rails, have a secure locking mechanism
and for additional safety, should
be chained and locked to the lifting
carriage or forks.
When lifting people versus loads,
always provide a means for personnel
on the platform to communicate
with the fork truck operator and have
shut-off power to the truck whenever
20 || Ground Support Worldwide || October 2024
guardrails) where practical to ensure
that workstations and congested
work areas are isolated from aisles
with heavy fork truck traffic. Evaluate
intersections and blind corners to
determine whether overhead dome
(parabolic) mirrors could improve the
visibility of blind spots for fork truck
operators and workers on foot.
And finally, make the effort to alert
workers when a fork truck is nearby.
Use horns, audible backup alarms and
flashing lights to warn workers and
other fork truck operators in the area
especially around blind intersections,
obstacles and office area exits and
entrances. Flashing lights over doors
can be important in areas where the
ambient noises levels are high.
The higher the volume of personnel
in an area shared by fork truck traffic,
the greater the risk of an accident,
regardless of how diligent the efforts
are to keep everyone safe. Once, an
incident occurred where an office
area had to be situated adjacent to a
main aisle, but the offices entrances
were recessed into alcoves separating
them from the traffic lanes with
flashing lights installed above the
alcoves on the outside wall indicating
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october2024

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