safety management for forklift
Is a Forklift a Safe Substitute for an Aerial Platform? -
By Rory S. McLaren - Director
Regulatory groups and manufacturers have developed, what they refer to as, “safe” methods for lifting personnel with a forklift (ref. OSHA 1926.602) – or if you will, “licensing” forklift owners and operators to use their forklifts as “crossover” vehicles, i.e. in addition to transporting cargo, they can be used as “aerial platforms.”
These committees did however; make a few stipulations, some of which are extremely vague:
1. The work platform must be equipped with standard guardrails or equivalent means, and must be firmly secured to the lifting carriage or forks.
2. The hydraulic system must be designed such that the lift mechanism will not drop faster than 135 feet per minute in the event of a failure in any part of the system.
3. The operator must be in the driving seat while workers are on the platform.
4. The operator must be in the driving seat while raising or lowering the platform.
5. The forklift must not travel from point to point with the work platform elevated at a height greater than 4 feet while the platform is occupied.
When necessary, an occupied platform can be moved as long as the forklift is “inched” at a very low speed. 6. The area between the personnel on the platform and the mast must be guarded to prevent contact with chains or other pinch points.
The preceding stipulations are well founded. However, could the regulatory groups and manufacturers have overlooked a number of critical elements associated with forklift design and ownership, which could either cause, or contribute to, the uncontrolled descent of a forklift’s lift or tilt mechanisms while the mast is elevated?
1. From a design point of view forklifts compared to aerial platforms are like “apples compared to oranges!” -
The fundamental purpose of a forklift is to transport cargo with the added convenience of self-loading and unloading with the aid of hydraulics.
By Rory S. McLaren - Director
Regulatory groups and manufacturers have developed, what they refer to as, “safe” methods for lifting personnel with a forklift (ref. OSHA 1926.602) – or if you will, “licensing” forklift owners and operators to use their forklifts as “crossover” vehicles, i.e. in addition to transporting cargo, they can be used as “aerial platforms.”
These committees did however; make a few stipulations, some of which are extremely vague:
1. The work platform must be equipped with standard guardrails or equivalent means, and must be firmly secured to the lifting carriage or forks.
2. The hydraulic system must be designed such that the lift mechanism will not drop faster than 135 feet per minute in the event of a failure in any part of the system.
3. The operator must be in the driving seat while workers are on the platform.
4. The operator must be in the driving seat while raising or lowering the platform.
5. The forklift must not travel from point to point with the work platform elevated at a height greater than 4 feet while the platform is occupied.
When necessary, an occupied platform can be moved as long as the forklift is “inched” at a very low speed. 6. The area between the personnel on the platform and the mast must be guarded to prevent contact with chains or other pinch points.
The preceding stipulations are well founded. However, could the regulatory groups and manufacturers have overlooked a number of critical elements associated with forklift design and ownership, which could either cause, or contribute to, the uncontrolled descent of a forklift’s lift or tilt mechanisms while the mast is elevated?
1. From a design point of view forklifts compared to aerial platforms are like “apples compared to oranges!” -
The fundamental purpose of a forklift is to transport cargo with the added convenience of self-loading and unloading with the aid of hydraulics.