Olempia Castillo

TMHNC Safety Specialist

4 Major Benefits of Forklift Safety Training

Safety training is one of the best investments a facility manager can make. Incident analysis proves there is a direct (and sometimes tragic) relationship between inadequate training and costly workplace accidents.

The benefits of proactive safety training include:
- Greater productivity
- Decreased maintenance Costs
- Lower insurance premiums

Keep reading to learn four major benefits of forklift safety training.

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How Blue Spotlights and Red Zone Forklift Lights Improve Forklift Safety

More than 95,000 forklift accidents happen each year. Statistically, this means about 1 in 10 forklifts will be involved in some type of incident. Experts estimate 70 percent of forklift accidents can be prevented, and forklift safety lights are a simple way to make your workplace safer for both forklift operators and pedestrians.

Blue spotlights mounted on the front and/or rear of the lift truck alert pedestrians when a forklift is nearby, and how fast it’s approaching. The lights project a bright blue light about 8 feet in front of or behind the forklift, depending on where the light is mounted.

Red zone forklift lights illuminate areas on each side of the forklift pedestrians should avoid. By reminding workers to keep their distance, you can lower the odds of someone getting hit by the rear-end swing when the forklift turns.

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Forklift Safety Matters: 7 Questions to Ask Your Service Provider

One of the riskiest mistakes a company can make is choosing a forklift service provider without asking about their safety record. Incidents and subsequent investigations can lead to costly fines, downtime, damage to your reputation and increased insurance costs.

The worst time to find out your forklift service provider has a poor safety record is after an incident. Take a proactive approach to safety by asking a few simple questions about their safety record and service technician training.

If you’re hesitant to ask, don’t be. Responsible operations that follow OSHA’s record-keeping requirements will know their safety stats and be happy to share them with you.

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Warehouse Safety Audit: Checklist & Tips

Cal/OSHA requires every employer “to provide and maintain a safe and healthful workplace for employees .” Proof of this commitment includes periodic inspections:

...identifying existing or potential hazards in the workplace, and eliminating or controlling them. The frequency of these inspections depends on the operations involved, the magnitude of the hazards, the proficiency of employees, changes in equipment or work processes, and the history of workplace injuries and illnesses.

According to OSHA, the fatal injury rate for warehousing employees is higher than the national average for all industries. In today’s post, we’ll share our tips for conducting a warehouse safety audit - including the top hazards for warehouse workers and creating a warehouse safety checklist.

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3 Ways to Prevent Common Forklift Accidents

Forklift accidents represent only 1% of total industrial accidents in the U.S, but they create 10% of reported physical injuries - 10,000/year. These accidents cost companies more than $135 million dollars a year and many are avoidable.

Learn more about common forklift accident causes and three simple ways to prevent them.

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When Is a Forklift Back-up Alarm Required?

Each year, dozens of workers are killed on the job when a vehicle backs over them. Many of these deaths could have been prevented by using an inexpensive back-up alarm.

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Why Use Daily Safety Checklists?

Would you back out of a driveway without checking for obstacles behind you? Or fly with an airline where the flight crew used pre-flight checklists “most of the time”? Of course not!

Safety checklists may be about as fun as flossing, but they’re an important preventative measure to avoid injuries and fines. OSHA Regulation: 1910.178(q)(7) states: