With 60 years of direct industry experience, we here at Sidetracker Engineering understand more than most the importance of effective forklift health and safety. As leading innovators of some of the latest and most advanced forklift and material lifting solutions available across the UK, we are extremely proud of the major steps we are making to help business owners increase productivity and ensure forklift occupational hazards are a thing of the past.
Maintaining health and safety on industrial sites is of paramount importance, especially for employees operating heavy machinery in enclosed areas such as warehouses and factories. Not only can ineffective forklift handling lead to workplace injury and put your employees at significant risk, but it can also lead to forklift, stock, and warehouse damage, and even lead to costly fines. Businesses that have breached workplace health, safety, and welfare regulations in the past have been fined up to £30,000, and also received court fees of up to £3,000!
With this being said, it is therefore extremely popular that your workplace takes its employees’ health, safety, and overall welfare seriously. By familiarising yourself with the correct health and safety practices, you can successfully prevent occupational hazards associated with forklift operations in the workplace.
Forklift Health & Safety
Operating heavy machinery will always carry an element of danger, due to its overall function and design. As one of the most frequently used and popular pieces of equipment found in industrial environments, forklift accidents are unfortunately fairly common; there is a multitude of potential risks associated with forklift operation, and a variety of factors that can lead to forklift accidents.
Some of the potential causes of forklift accidents include…
- Lack of/improper training
- Careless driving/operation
- Improper use of tools and/or attachments
Preventing Forklift Truck Accidents
As per your duty of care, you as a business owner must do everything possible to ensure a safe and proper working environment for your employees. Taking the time to create a secure environment, utilising the correct equipment, and maintaining correct safe working practices can all help to prevent potential forklift truck accidents from occurring.
Some of the many ways you can ensure your forklifts are operated safely include…
Correct Forklift Training
It is a legal requirement that any and all employees utilising forklift trucks receive the proper training essential for correct forklift use, and are fully licensed and certified to operate one. With every forklift being different, it is important to adhere to the specific guidelines issued by the maker of your forklift model. By keeping your employees up to date with the latest forklift training and procedures, you can ensure that you are giving your forklift operators all of the information and training necessary for them to utilise their forklift trucks correctly.
Regular Forklift Servicing
Just like any other piece of equipment, your forklift truck must be serviced regularly to ensure its correct function and safe operation. Depending upon the specific make and model of your forklift, a dedicated forklift inspection agent provided by the manufacturer may need to visit your site to check that all of your forklifts are in total working order. Some typical faults include missing bolts, missing or damaged tyres, failing breaks, and much more.
At Sidetracker Engineering, we offer ongoing maintenance and support for all of our bespoke forklift trucks and material handling equipment. For more info, see below.
Utilise The Correct Forklift Equipment
Making sure that you have the correct forklift for your business is an extremely important factor to consider, as there are a plethora of makes, models, sizes, and designs to suit a range of applications. By ensuring that the forklift and equipment you are using are correct for your business, you can avoid extra expenses on forklift replacements, and keep your employee’s health, safety, and welfare at the forefront of your practices.
Enforce Correct Workplace Practices
Correct workplace practices are key to employee safety. Good practices for forklift parking, loading and driving should always be detailed to your employees; by ensuring that your employees are behaving safely and professionally, and setting policies and rules that outline correct processes, you can significantly reduce the risk of workplace accidents and injury.
Invest In Safety
By investing in adequate safety equipment for your business, you can ensure that your premises and your employees have all of the tools available to create a safe working environment. Sidetracker Engineering has developed a range of UK-manufactured, innovative material handling solutions designed specifically to operate even in the most awkward of working environments.
Get In Touch
For more information, tips and guidance on how to prevent forklift truck accidents in the workplace, get in touch with the team here at Sidetracker Engineering today.