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Every year nearly 100 workers are killed in forklift accidents. These
incidents usually involve driving off a loading dock, tip-overs, struck-by, and
dropping a load. One type of incident that does not receive as much focus as it
should is the use of a forklift to lift personnel without a safety platform.
This unsafe practice occurs all too often and can result in serious injury or
death.
After conducting a forklift training class for a local company, an employee sent me an interesting
picture. The picture shows another nearby business performing one of the most
unsafe actions that I have ever seen. This driver is
using a forklift to elevate two employees on a pallet with a ladder, up to a
flag pole. Once they are in place, they extend the ladder and lean it against
the flagpole. One man holds the ladder while the other climbs up to perform the
work. These men either were not given the proper training or were disregarding
their company’s safety policies. Regardless of the circumstances, this is an
action that should never have taken place
A few years ago, a New Jersey company was fined by OSHA
for failing to provide adequate training for forklift operators after an
employee fell in a large chemical mixing kettle and was seriously injured. The
employee was standing on a pallet lifted by a forklift when he fell. The
incident sparked an OSHA investigation which resulted in numerous alleged
violations and fines of over $100,000; the largest fine was for failure to
properly train employees. Another citation was for not providing safety
platforms with proper guard rails for lifting employees. Luckily, the employee
was not killed as a result of this incident, but he very easily could have been.
The New Jersey incident and accompanying citations serve as an example
of the necessity for comprehensive forklift training, including lifting
personnel. It is not enough to cover the basics of how to operate the
equipment, but also reviewing the safety rules of what NOT to do. Employers
using forklifts to lift employees must provide either a safety platform or
consider using an aerial lift to accomplish the work. Allowing employees to
perform an unsafe and potentially fatal action is considered to be a serious
violation.
Although safety standards have come a long way, the picture above serves
as a reminder of why employees must be trained and refreshed on the importance
of following the rules. One small misstep or sudden movement could easily cause
both of these men to lose balance and fall to the ground. Preventing this type
of unsafe work may seem like common sense to most of us, but it happens all too
often. |
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