Notorious Hazards to Anticipate When Operating a Forklift
Forklifts are a necessity in any warehousing and large retail facility. The market has a variety of forklifts that you can use for your business activities. Counterbalance forklifts are very popular compared to the other types. They come with forks protruding from the front side of the vehicle. There are no additional legs and arms for outrigging, meaning that you can drive the forklift straight up to the point of loading or unloading the luggage. Secondly, there are three-wheel counterbalance forklifts as well. They are good for operations in limited spaces due to their tight turning abilities. If you have just landed your first forklift operations job, here are some notorious hazards you might encounter when using these forklifts:
Unsuspecting Pedestrians in the Workplace
When you first check into office, you must be apprehensive of the fact that few people, if any, have the required knowledge to carry themselves safely around forklifts. Some accidents may happen because people do not understand the risks involved when they are in proximity to a forklift. First, the accident may happen because of an obstructed view. Since you cannot see what is ahead of you, there is a high risk of driving the forklift straight into an unsuspecting pedestrian. You might also turn the machine towards someone standing next to it. Lastly, you can also run into the pedestrian when you are speeding, and the forklift cannot stop in good time to avoid the pedestrian.
Attachments
Attachments are another notorious cause of accidents when working with forklifts. Forklift attachments include drum clamps, carton clamps, rotators, push-pull elements and paper-roll clamps. Most of the safety hazards caused by attachments result from the changes to the operational clearances. Attachments extend the width and length of the machine and make it hard to manoeuvre as you would without if they hadn't been added to the machine. They also alter the centre of gravity of the machine and make it easy for it to topple over during operation.
Loads
The loads you carry using the forklift also pose some operational hazards on the forklift. Some loads cannot be properly fastened on the forks, leaving them unstable. They can easily fall over and injure the people or damage properly. Moving loads that interfere with proper forward vision poses the highest risk. Secondly, some loads contain hazardous material capable of injuring people and corroding equipment and fittings in the workplace. Such materials pose great risks when stacking or unstacking them on storage racks.
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