A forklift is a heavy piece of equipment that you may often find parked around in warehouses and factories. They are used in loading, unloading, or moving heavy materials. But with this common heavy equipment, accidents are also inevitable even if a slight thing goes wrong. To be precise, forklifts are responsible for around 10% of accidents in the workplace. Mainly, these happen because the operators ignore safety concerns. In the worst cases, it can cost a human life. However, if the operators know what they are doing, the chances are pretty thin. Based on the long observation, here are the five common driving mistakes that you shouldn’t ignore while handling a forklift.
#1. Do a Pre-Shift Inspection of the Forklift
Before you go behind the wheels of the forklift, there are a few things that you should check beforehand. This also helps to ensure you don’t meet with any failures or mechanical problems while moving loads. Here’s a quick Forklift Repair checklist. Check for any leakage, levels of hydraulic fluid, filters, any wear or tear in the tires, and signs for any major or minor damage.
#2. Don’t Drive Fast
Forklifts aren’t racing machines. Their design consists of elements that can be used to move heavy loads not to go 100 miles/hour. And this is one of the biggest safety lapses that often result in an accident. It can not only cause serious injuries to the operator but also to co-workers who are operating in the same area. Even if the organization wants you to cut corners to save time, still, it’s best to drive sensibly within the speed limit to keep the load and your co-workers safe.
#3. Make Sure the Load is Secured
If there is a need to move a load to a minor distance, it may be tempting to just pick it up and start driving without even securing the load. But it’s a bad idea. According to reports, the majority of accidents including rollovers, damaged loads, load fall, collisions, and mechanical failure in which forklifts were involved are caused by either speeding or unsecured loads.
#4. Check the Load Book
Forklifts are designed to move around heavy weights. But you just can’t keep loading it up. There’s a loading limit. What’s that? Well, it entirely depends on the forklift model that you’re using. For the sake of this, you can refer to the load manual that comes with the equipment. Also, since these heavy machines carry thousands of pounds at once, it is best to evenly distribute and stack the load.
#5. Don’t Get Distracted
Love calling or texting while operating your forklift… it’s not at all recommended. Since these machines require to be operated with top-most precision, a minor distraction can wreak havoc on the site.
#6. Keep a Check on the Surroundings
If you’re a regular operator or a newbie that has just come from the forklift training program, you may already know about the blind spots. And there are a lot of them in forklifts. The situation gets even worse when you carry high-stacked loads. That’s why it is important to have a walk in the area of operation before using the forklift to ensure you don’t collide with any other heavy machines.
These were the five most common forklift driving mistakes that you shouldn’t ignore. And now that you’re familiar with them, make sure to avoid them. Also, if you’re new to the field, going with the forklift training program beforehand will add great help.
Are you looking for the latest, high-quality used forklifts for sale or rental, contact Torcan Lift Equipment at 1-833-743-2500. Or if you have any other queries, you can visit our official website.
