June 11, 2019, is National Forklift Safety Day! This marks the sixth year the industry takes this day to remember how important safety is for forklift operations and discusses best practices to adopt.

Why is forklift safety such a big deal?

In the US alone, there are over 855,000 forklifts, and 11% of those forklifts will be involved in an accident. According to OSHA, the fatal injury rate for the warehousing industry is higher than the national average for all industries. With 61,800 non-serious accidents per year, 34,900 accidents resulting in severe injury and 85 fatal accidents per year on average.

This impressively sad data means there’s a lot of work to be done to make sure employees have a safe work environment. Around 70% of those accidents could’ve been avoided if proper training and policies were involved.  

While the safety of employees is the main reason for enforcing safety procedures, it is also essential to know how even the smallest accident can impact your bottom line with increased downtime and maintenance costs. With this industry experiencing $188k in annual work-related injury costs (includes both direct and indirect costs), and failure to adhere to OSHA’s policies can result in fines ranging anywhere from $7k to $70k, it is clear why taking the proper time to train all employees and investing in safety-focused telematics devices is crucial.

To keep your employees safe and to avoid the high costs associated with forklift accidents and injuries, we’ve put together a list of the top safety practices you should follow for a safer organization.

Best Forklift Safety Practices

1) Complete a Safety Checklist Before Operating a Forklift

By making each operator complete a safety checklist before operating the vehicle, it will ensure the vehicle is functioning properly and only authorized employees can operate it. A proper checklist will not allow vehicles in need of maintenance to be operated as it can put the entire workforce at risk.

Using a telematics device streamlines this process and can even lock down vehicles that should not be used.

2) Practice Safe Driving

In a warehouse setting, multiple forklifts will be in use at once, with workers walking around the floor. It is crucial for forklift operators to practice these safe driving steps to promote a safer work environment.

Some Key Safe Driving Practices Include:

– Never allowing unauthorized riders on the forklift

– Always wearing a seatbelt and proper safety gear

– Only loading the forklift within its capacity

– Always staying under the overhead guard

3) Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Knowing what is around you is just as important for forklift operators as it is for workers walking around the warehouse. Making sure to never walk under raised loads and checking for oncoming vehicles when crossing a busy intersection is key to avoiding accidents.

4) Enforce a Proper Training Program

With 25% of all forklift-related accidents being the result of inadequate training, it is imperative that all operators complete a proper training program so that only qualified individuals can operate a vehicle.

The Most Advanced Safety Choice

If your operation is being overrun by accidents and lack of accountability for employees mistakes, it might be time to invest in a safety-focused telematics device. Our telematics offering, Advanced, uses OSHA compliant safety checklists, detects impacts, sharp turns and excessive loads, and allows for quick and easy accident report filing and retrieval on our cloud-based application, AssetPro 360. In addition, all accident and reckless driving data are operator specific, so you can quickly identify the employees that may need additional training.

Safety is the primary concern for every fleet manager, and Advanced is here to help everyone involved achieve a cost-efficient, productive and safe operation.