How Many Powered Fork Truck Accidents Occur Each Year?
Powered fork trucks, often referred to as lift trucks, are an essential part of warehouses and businesses. However, they also pose an enormous threat to workers’ safety. They can cause a wide variety of injuries, including fatalities and serious damage to buildings and infrastructure.
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Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 85 fatal accidents occur each year, 34,900 result in serious injury, and 61,800 are classified as non-serious. These numbers show how common forklift accidents are, even with the proper training and maintenance.
Weighing up to 9,000 pounds and able to travel at speeds up to 18 miles per hour, forklifts are three times heavier than cars, making them more difficult to control. They are also more difficult to see, especially when driving near blind spots or in narrow spaces.
When operating a forklift, it is important to keep the load as low as possible to prevent accidents. It’s also recommended to have a spotter and drive backwards when possible.
A common way to reduce accident rates is to use high-visibility clothing when operating a forklift, especially in close proximity to pedestrians. This will help drivers see them better, and will also make it easier for pedestrians to avoid the truck.
Another great option is to use physical barriers that separate forklifts from pedestrians, and to paint brightly colored lines on the floor to mark them. These precautions will go a long way in preventing these incidents.
If you are a forklift driver, be sure to follow all the speed limits set by your employer and the manufacturer of your forklift. It’s also important to exercise caution when turning on an incline or tilting a raised mast, and to keep the load as low as possible to avoid tip-overs.
It’s also vital to take a slow, steady pace and never operate the forklift on an uneven surface, such as grass or gravel. This can increase the risk of a rollover or tip-over, as well as causing the forklift to become unstable.
When a forklift is not being operated properly, it can tip over and injure or kill a person. Some of the most common causes include speeding, driving with a load too high or unbalanced, improperly securing a load and turning on an incline.
Injuries associated with forklifts can be severe and costly. It’s crucial for all employers to ensure that they are following appropriate safety standards. In addition to requiring workers to undergo safety training, OSHA also recommends that companies ensure their employees understand the hazards involved in operating a forklift and that they know what steps to take if an accident does happen.
Forklift Operator Injuries
A large percentage of forklift-related injuries involve operators. These can be caused by a number of factors, including fatigue, carelessness, and distracted driving. Keeping these accidents at bay requires a dedicated and skilled workforce.
If you are injured in a forklift accident, you should seek immediate medical attention and contact your employer to report the incident. Then, you can start the process of filing a workers’ compensation claim with your employer and seek damages for any injuries or losses that you have suffered.