FORKLIFT LOADING
If you drive a forklift, you might take a lot of what you do for granted. Once you have been trained and have loaded and unloaded a few hundred loads, you figure you have the routine down. It is easy to get in a hurry, take a few short cuts, or forget some of the finer points of safety. Loading and unloading your forklift can be very dangerous. Unstable or off-centered loads can fall off causing injury.
To get a better understanding of a forklift and how it works, think about a teeter - totter. When a lift truck is not loaded and its forks are down, the center of gravity is just behind the front wheels. But, if the forklift turns, the center of gravity shifts to the outside of the turn. The faster the forklift takes the turn the further the center of gravity shifts. When loaded to capacity, the center of gravity shifts to the center of the front axle. If the load is to heavy, the forklift will turn over. The majority of all forklift fatalities are the result of turnovers.
The million-dollar question is how can you keep this from happening when you are operating a lift truck? Here are some steps that will help:
1. Make a good approach. Be sure the forklift is square to the load and that the forks are level.
2. Size up the load. How much can your forklift carry? Every lift truck must have a plate with its maximum capacity listed.
3. Make sure the forks are equally spaced apart, using the center of the load as your reference. This will keep your load stable.
4. Never lift a load above the backrest the load could slip and fall back, land on the operator and cause serious injury.
5. Before lifting a load, make sure it is stable and stacked properly. If a pallet is used, make sure it is in good condition.
6. Always make sure the forklift is stopped with the brake on before lifting a load. Also, make sure you have adequate overhead clearance.
7. If you change forks to a different size or add an attachment, remember that the center of gravity changes. Also, the information plate must be changed.
Forklifts are valuable tools. Like any tool they are only as safe as the person operating are using them. Like the experienced forklift operator said; "Handle your forklift safely so you're not the one being dumped."
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