Transcript Fork Lift Awareness

Fork Lift Awareness
Robert Poole
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company
Fork Lift Accidents
OSHA estimates that there are 680,400
forklift accidents each year (1997)
 Approximately 90,000 employees suffer
some type of injury

Fork Lift Accidents

losses affect employees
–
–
physical suffering
mental suffering
Benefits of Fork lifts
Assist in the movement of materials
 Reduce employee lifting injuries

Fork Lift potential problems
Pedestrians
 Blind spots
 Indoors/Outdoors
 Narrow aisles (and aisle intersections)
 Building columns
 Operate 24 hours per day
 Turning radius

Fork Lift and Pedestrians
Pedestrians contribute to accidents
 Pedestrians do not understand stopping
distances
 Pedestrians tried to “beat” a lift truck

Methods used to reduce Fork Lift
Accidents
Training of drivers
 Maintenance of equipment
 Areas of operation

Fork Lift Accidents

Losses affect employers
–
–
damage to equipment
loss productivity
A breakdown of the 680,400
accidents:
90,000 employees injured
 100 deaths

Source: Powered industrial truck accidents report through OSHA’s
“First report of serious accidents” 1985-1990
In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?
Ran off loading dock
7
12.2
Struck by falling load
Elevated employee on lift
14.4
Struck by powered fork lift
18.8
25.3
Tip over of fork lift
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?
3.1
Faulty powered lift
Employees overcome by fumes
4.4
Fork lift struck material
4.4
4.4
Lost control of the fork lift
Improper maintenance procedures
0
1
2
3
4
6.1
5
6
7
In percent what Causes Lift
Truck Accidents?
1
Electrocutions
Improper use of fork lift
2.6
Employee fell from fork lift
3.1
Unloading unchocked trailer
0
0.5
1
1.5
3.1
2
2.5
3
3.5