Having functional forklifts allows business owners to increase material handling productivity levels. Employing experienced and knowledgeable forklift operators is also a crucial component to keeping your business running efficiently. Keeping your forklift operators safe and productive is no easy task. Every day, approximately 95 people are injured in forklift accidents in the United States.
If forklift accidents are a frequent occurrence, your employees will start to feel like they are working in an unsafe environment. Informing your operators about common forklift driving mistakes is one of the best ways to help them stay safe behind the wheel. Below are some common mistakes forklift operators make and how to avoid them.
Ignoring the Need For Pre-Operation Inspections
Assuming that a forklift is safe before driving it is a horrible idea. Some forklift drivers fail to realize just how many problems they can avoid by performing an inspection of their forklift before every shift. If you want to make it easy for your operators to perform these inspections, then developing checklist sheets for them to use is crucial.
When devising these checklists, you need to make sure they include an inspection of components like:
- Tires
- Hydraulic components
- Braking components
- Forks
- Batteries
- Safety harnesses
Getting your team in the habit of inspecting forklifts before operating them can help you avoid accidents. Discovering repair issues early on will also allow you to reduce the cost of repairs to your fleet of forklifts.
Miscommunication is Dangerous
Pedestrians being hit by forklifts are quite common in businesses around the United States. If you want to reduce the chance of these types of accidents taking place, you need to realize the importance of communication. You need to realize that forklift operators have tons of blind spots. Your goal should be to do all you can to mitigate the risk caused by this growing number of blind spots.
Utilizing the power of sound and light signals is a great way to accomplish this goal. Training your forklift operators to alert pedestrians to their presence with the help of their horns is a must. If workers hear the beep from a forklift horn, they will know to get out of the way. Creating forklift zones in your workspace is also important when trying to keep everyone in your establishment safe.
Don’t Drive a Forklift Too Fast
Another mistake that can cause forklift accidents is driving too fast. When operating a forklift in a warehouse, you will need to be mindful of what is around you. If you are traveling at a high rate of speed, you will struggle to stop quickly if you are faced with problems. Instead of putting yourself and the people around you at risk, you need to slow down. By slowing down, you can keep your eyes peeled for obstructions and react when they present themselves.
Ongoing training is a crucial component of keeping your forklift operators motivated and safe. By investing in the right training, you can reduce the frequency of forklift accidents.