Forklift Operator Knocks Over $100,000 Worth of Liquor

As seen in this Youtube video, “in a Russian liquor warehouse, a forklift driver hits the gas in reverse and plows into a warehouse rack filled with liquor, causing a domino effect that brings down half the warehouse. There was over a hundred thousand dollars in damage. The driver survived. No report if he is still employed.”

All joking aside, an accident like this can have a vast impact on your business operations such as Property Damage with the destroyed product. Think about the extensive clean up and reorganization; the suspense of business operations/ business income/interruption exposure. Also, from a Workers Compensation and Employee Disability standpoint, there are injured employees which means lost time, recovery, employee shortage, and training costs for other employees to fill the void. This can have a devastating impact on your bottom line.

Here are some Safety Tips For Forklift Drivers:

Maintenance

• Each day, check that the forklift is ready for the day’s work and perform any necessary maintenance before operating.
• Report any malfunction or poor performance to your supervisor immediately.

Loading

• Use reverse when going down inclines and go forward up inclines.
• Do not travel with the load elevated, and keep the load stable and as close to the floor as possible.
• Avoid raising or lowering a load while the forklift is moving.
• Always keep the load tilted back towards the carriage while raising and lowering.
• Make sure the load is balanced and is within the capacity of the truck.
• Never use the forks as a personnel elevator unless properly equipped.

Driving

• Always make sure your driving path is clear.
• Slow down for corners, blind spots and doorways.
• Drive defensively by always being aware of your surroundings and watching for the unexpected.
• Be aware of ground conditions and always take the smoothest possible path.
• Never try to turn on an incline.
• Cross tracks diagonally and slow down for uneven surfaces.
• Keeps legs, arms, feet, hands and head inside the forklift.
• Be aware of others around the job site, in case they do not see you.
• Always give those on foot the right of way.
• Stay out from under forks and loads.
• Never show off or use the machine for anything other than your specified job tasks.
• Never give anyone a ride or allow anyone who is untrained to operate the forklift.

Finally, here’s a Sample Performance Test for Forklift Operators for reference to monitor your employee forklift drivers.

Minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events before they happen. That’s what Risk Management is all about.

-JK