Lift trucks are important pieces of industrial machinery for a variety of businesses and industries. Many thousands of businesses all around the globe would come to a screeching halt if their lift truck was unable to be used. Even if a lift truck is a vital part to numerous businesses, they are really dangerous machines. Lift trucks have to be handled only by trained operators and they need to be respected every time.
In some way indirectly or even directly, approximately 10% of workplace mishaps take place due to using a forklift. The lift truck is a heavy and rather powerful equipment. Whenever an accident happens, it usually lads to serious injury and damage and could even be fatal. Hence, safety measures are really vital. Regulations have to be put into place in order to avoid mishaps and injuries happening with a forklift truck.
To be able to help eliminate certain accidents form happening, it is important to ensure all forklift operators and employees using these equipment have correct forklift training. Other preventions could also be considered. For instance, it is a common practice for employers to post and recommend a speed limit for the lift truck so that operator does not surpass a specific speed. Several machines are outfitted with governors to be able to control the maximum speed too.
Speed enforcement regulations can help lessen the more severe outcomes because higher speeds correlate with more damage. Thus, if the lift truck is operating at a slow pace, even though a particular accident takes place, the resulting damage would be significantly less than if the lift truck truck was traveling 2 or 3 times as fast. Limiting the velocity of the machinery would greatly limit the possibilities of accidents taking place in the first place. As it would only be traveling fairly slow, the operator will have time to react and stop the forklift prior to impact; as the machine is traveling slowly it would come to a stop a lot quicker.
There are a variety of ways to increase safety in the workplace. These solutions should be put into place so they could be implemented properly.