Fork Lift Awareness

Fork Lift Accidents

 OSHA estimates that there are 680,400

accidents each year
 Approximately 90,000 employees suffer
some type of injury
Fork Lift Accidents

 losses affect employees

– physical suffering
– mental suffering
Benefits of Fork lifts

 Assist in the movement of materials

 Reduce employee injuries
Fork Lift operating environments

 Pedestrians
 Blind spots
 Indoors/Outdoors
 Narrow aisles
 Building columns
 Operate 24 hours per day
 Turning radius
Fork Lift and Pedestrians

 Pedestrians contribute to accidents

 Pedestrians do no understand stopping
distances
 Pedestrians tried to “beat” a lift truck
Methods used to reduce Fork Lift
Accidents
 Training of drivers
 Maintenance of equipment
 Areas of operation
Fork Lift Accidents

 Losses affect employers

– damage to equipment
– loss productivity
A breakdown of the 680,400
accidents:
 90,000 employees injured
 100 deaths

Source: Powered industrial truck accidents report through OSHA’s

“First report of serious accidents” 1985-1990
 In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?

7 Ran off loading dock

12.2 Elevated employee on lift

Struck by falling load 14.4

Struck by powered fork lift 18.8

25.3
Tip over of fork lift

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
 In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?
3.1
Faulty powered lift
4.4
Employees overcome by fumes
Fork lift struck material 4.4

Lost control of the fork lift 4.4

Improper maintenance procedures 6.1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?

1 Electrocutions

Improper use of fork lift 2.6

Employee fell from fork lift 3.1

3.1
Unloading unchocked trailer

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5