Eight Propane Forklift Safety Considerations Crews Need to Know
Material handling equipment, like forklifts, are vital to a port’s day-to-day operations. Forklifts enable employees to keep containers and other heavy materials on the move during their shift. But due to the nature of the equipment, forklifts introduce some workplace hazards that crews need to be aware of — and know how to avoid.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted a study analyzing forklift-related accidents, injuries, and fatalities and discovered the top six causes to be operator inattention, lack of training, unstable loads, forklift overturns, operators struck-by load, and elevated employees.
Fortunately for forklift operators, modern forklift technology is safer than ever — but only when operators follow proper safety procedures. To combat common hazards and keep employees safe, OSHA has several safety guidelines in place with regard to forklift operation, maintenance, and required training.
The Propane Education & Research Council — and the propane industry as a whole — are passionate about forklift safety, too. The Propane Council works to educate propane users and has an entire landing page dedicated to forklift safety. There, users can find tips (like those listed below), videos, PERC’s trivia challenge, and more.
To learn more about propane forklift safety, visit Propane.com/SafetyFirst
The Author: Matt McDonald is the director of off-road business development at the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at matt.mcdonald@propane.com.
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