The Real Reason Why Forklift Accidents Keep Happening

Spring is just around the corner, and many of you are starting to think about hiring more staff for the spring and summer rush. What a wonderful time spring is, the flowers are blooming, the jobs are rolling in, and employers are diligent enough that they are training their forklift operators on the safe usage of this device. Some of these employers forget that forklift training doesn’t end just at the operators. There are many employees that have to work around these machines and face their own set of safety issues! Did you know that most forklift accidents occur not to the operator but to the workers that have to work around the forklift? Let me put this into perspective for you, here are:

Some of the Most Common Forklift Related Accidents

• Forklift operators running over a workers foot
• Worker pinned against an object
• Forklift operator pushing a skid towards a worker, breaking his feet when pined against a solid object
• Load tipping and falling onto a worker
• Worker pinned between forklift and side of a trailer

Now that you know this, does your company provide some sort of “Pedestrian Safety Training” for the people that are working around forklifts all day? If yes, great! Here is an internet cookie 🍪 If the answer is no, we really suggest some form of training and possibly have it be part of your Worker Safety Orientation Training. You can maybe go for something simpler and do a Safety Talk for all workers working around a forklift. Regardless of how your company wants to handle it, something should be done about this. We have compiled a checklist of suggestions to help your company out and help reduce forklift accidents.

Forklift Awareness Checklist

1. Conduct a risk assessment that targets forklift operations around workers. This is something the Ministry of Labour is looking at legislating as part of a proposed amendment to the Regulation 851 for Industrial Establishments. Stay ahead of the game!
2. Provide training to any worker who may be working near forklifts about how to stay safe when forklifts are in operation (Pedestrian Safety)
3. Consider having workers who may be working around forklifts wear high visibility clothing to make them more visible
4. Consider putting barriers up to separate the forklift operations and pedestrians such as lines on the floor or posts and railings to act as a barrier
5. Encourage your staff, including forklift operators and pedestrians, to report near misses where a work may have been at risk of an accident or near miss
   1. Make it a supervisors’ responsibility to document any of these near misses and report it to the employer and safety rep/ JHSC
6. Create safety rules for the operation of forklifts when working around workers. Ensure everyone is trained in those rules
7. Make sure your forklift operators are trained and that training is up to date. Make sure your forklift operators are trained and that training us up to date. (in case you didn’t catch that last bit)

Need Forklift Safety Training? Click Here. (We actually have a forklift for a logo, I mean come on who else are you going to trust?)

We get that safety and compliance can be confusing, and that’s why many companies ask for our help. We have guys that have been doing this for FOREVER and are experts at explaining what proper compliance may look like for your company. Contact us if you have any questions or would like a no cost safety & compliance check-up.