A new “Warehouse Safety Hazards and Solutions Guide” is now available free from Graphic Products, Inc. It lists common warehouse safety hazards, presents safety solutions and provides “Think Safety” checklists for avoiding certain hazards.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released the “Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklift) eTool,” its latest online safety-training resource. OSHA exists to ensure that all employers provide a safe workplace for employees by establishing and enforcing occupational standards as well as providing training and education on related topics; the agency maintains a strong presence in the industrial marketplace. The eTools, which date back to 1998, are interactive, Web-based training tools that cover a specific occupational safety or health topic. The Forklift eTool is the latest to join a library of more than 160 topics.

OSHA developed the content with input from expert members of the Alliance Program. The program partners OSHA representatives with labor unions, trade and professional associations, and educational institutions for regular cooperative interaction. Specific contributors to the Forklift publication included the Industrial Truck Association; the Association of Equipment Manufacturers; the American Forest and Paper Association; the Pulp and Paper Safety Association; and the Precision Metalforming Association.

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Do you ship or receive any materials considered hazardous by the US DOT (49 CFR 172.101)?  If so, you MUST have a security plan (49 CFR part 172.800) which includes security awareness training to all who load, unload or have some responsibility putting the hazardous materials in commerce.  This might include the person in the office who fills out the shipping papers, or the forklift driver who unloads the truck in your loading bay.  Everyone involved with the process must be trained. 

The DOT has become more active fining companies and organizations for not having a security plan and not doing the training.  Large or small, profit or not-for-profit, it doesn’t matter.  Security awareness training is now considered one of the 5 parts of HAZMAT training.  the 5 parts include: General Awareness, Function-Specific, Safety, Security Awareness, and Security In-Depth (if you need and have a security plan as classified by (49CFR 172.800(b)(1-7). If your hazardous materials fall under this last part, then you must do a full security plan including a assessment and training.  The plan needs to be in writing and available to all who are affected.

The Compliance Resource Center can help you do a security assessment, write a security plan and customize hazmat training specificly for your company.  All of our HAZMAT training is customize for the hazardous materials you ship or receive.  You employees get ALL the training required by the US DOT Pipline and Hazardous Materials Safety Adminsitration.  DOT Hazmat training for ground is required every 3 years and for air and/or ocean every 2 years. 

Many of us have seen pictures like this regarding how NOT to use a forklift.   Today forklift or Powdered Industrial Trucks (OSHA 1910.178) is number 6 on the most fined violations of OSHA’s Top Ten list.

About a year ago I posted the Forklift Quiz and answers.  The OSHA training requirements incorporate safe operation, training program implementation, training program content, refresher training and evaluation, avoidance of duplicate training, and certification.  Trainees must be initially trained in the following truck-related and workplace-related topics:

TRUCK-RELATED

• Operating instructions, warnings and precautions for type of truck
• Similarities and differences to automobiles
• Control and instrumentation location and use
• Engine or motor operation
• Steering and maneuvering
• Visibility
• Fork and attachment limitations and use
• Vehicle capacity
• Vehicle stability
• Vehicle inspection and maintenance refueling or charging batteries
• Operating limitations
• Other operating instructions, warnings or precautions listed in the operator’s manual

WORKPLACE-RELATED

• Surface conditions where truck is used
• Load composition and stability
• Load stacking, unstacking and transport
• Pedestrian traffic
• Narrow aisle and restricted area operation
• Operation in hazardous locations
• Ramp and sloped surface operation
• Unique or potentially hazardous conditions
• Operating the vehicle in closed environments

Because powered industrial trucks are manufactured by different companies with various models available, the training must be specific to the operating characteristics of the specific powered industrial truck the employee will be using.

I was recently shopping at my local garden center and was watching the forklift operator move skids of soil and mulch.  The driver was not wearing a seatbelt, and had little regard for the shoppers or other employees his was operating the forklift near.  Twice he almost hit another employee with a skid load of soil.  Either the training was not complete or the safety person needed to become more aware of this conduct.  Either way it was an incident waiting to happen.