Safety Facts and Tips for National Forklift Safety Day

Mid Atlantic Supports National Forklift Safety Day

National Forklift Safety Day, in its fourth consecutive year, focuses on educating customers, the public and government officials about the importance of forklift safety and training in the workplace. Promoting forklift safety is the best way to reduce the number of forklift accidents and injuries. In support of National Forklift Safety Day, we gathered these helpful forklift facts and top safety tips.

Facts about forklift safety:

1. 70% of all industrial accidents are caused by operator error
2. Effective forklift training may reduce accident rates by 25-30%
3. Forklift operator training is required by OSHA and critical for a safe work environment
4. Pedestrian training is just as important to safety as forklift operator training
5. Promoting awareness is the best chance of reducing forklift accidents
6. Using a forklift instead of manually lifting heavy items will reduce back-related injuries
7. Following forklift operator training, OSHA found a 61% improvement in operator performance scores
8. Employers are required by OSHA to train, evaluate, certify, re-train and re-evaluate

 Our top safety tips we gathered to promote forklift safety awareness:

1. Ensure only trained and certified individuals are operating equipment
2. Inspect your forklift before each shift – see our daily safety check list (click here)
3. Never load a forklift beyond its rated capacity
4. Always wear your seatbelt while operating a forklift
5. Never allow anyone under the age of 18 to operate a forklift that are in non-agricultural settings (minimum age for agriculture is 16)
6. Slow down and sound the horn at intersections or where your vision is obstructed
7. Never leave an operating forklift unattended; It’s illegal to even leave keys unattended in a forklift.
8. When operating a forklift, you must follow the designated roadways outlined at your worksite
9. Always remain alert and attentive when operating a forklift to ensure you are aware of your surrounding environment
10. If your load obstructs your view, operate the forklift in reverse to improve visibility
11. Avoid using decaying, warped or damaged skids or pallets
12. Always travel with your forks positioned as low as possible

“We believe strongly in the importance of proper forklift safety training and decreasing workplace hazards. This is why we provide operator training certification every month. As a distributor of forklifts, we have a duty to ensure our customers are provided with operator training options for their employees to ensure everyone remains safe.” – Dave Haight, CEO, Mid Atlantic Industrial Equipment