FORKLIFT FACT SHEET
Forklift Safety
Hazard, Risk and Remedy information adapted from Safe Work Australia material. Definition of ‘Forklift’ may not represent a legal definition.
Forklifts or industrial lift trucks are used to lift, stack and transfer loads in warehouses, factories, shipping yards, freight terminals and other workplaces right across Australia.
A forklift is a powered industrial truck equipped with lifting media made up of a mast and elevating load carriage with a pair of fork arms or other arms that can be raised 900 mm or more off the ground. Pedestrian operated forklift trucks do not require a high-risk-work (HRW) licence.
The human and financial cost of forklift-related incidents for workers, industry and the community is substantial.
Risks
As forklifts must be manoeuvrable they are designed to be compact. But when carrying loads they can become unstable under certain circumstances. Fully laden, a standard two tonne forklift can weigh approximately five tonnes in total. With lower stability and greater manoeuvrability combined with uncontrolled traffic areas in workplaces you’ll understand why forklifts are involved in so many incidents. Even at low speeds, forklifts can cause serious injuries and fatalities.
It’s not just the worker using the forklift who can be injured—pedestrians can be struck by a forklift or its load.
Remedy
To operate a forklift in workplaces regulated by the Commonwealth Work, Health and Safety legislation you must have a high risk work licence or be closely supervised while you are getting a high risk work licence. A high risk work licence requires you to be first trained by a Registered Training Organisation. Check with your local workplace safety authority (see Comcare’s Forklift Safety documentation below) for requirements in your state or territory.
Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) are responsible for:
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A safe work environment
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Safe systems of work
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Safe and well-maintained machinery
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Proper information, training and supervision.
Combined with the principles of hazard management (see page 21 of Comcare’s Forklift Safety documentation linked below) and an effective traffic management plan, these measures can help reduce the risk of forklift-related injuries.
FORKLIFT DANGERS
As forklifts must be manoeuvrable they are designed to be compact. But when carrying loads they can become unstable under certain circumstances. Fully laden, a standard two tonne forklift can weigh approximately five tonnes in total. With lower stability and greater manoeuvrability combined with uncontrolled traffic areas in workplaces you’ll understand why forklifts are involved in so many incidents.
Even at low speeds, forklifts can cause serious injuries and fatalities.
It’s not just the worker using the forklift who can be injured—pedestrians can be struck by a forklift or its load.
Don’t wait until there is an injury or death at your workplace before developing a safe system of work to control risks.
REPORTING UNSAFE SITUATIONS AND DAMAGE
All safety risks related to operation or maintenance of the racking should be reported to management immediately. In some circumstances – eg major collapse of racking exposing a worker or others to serious health and safety risks, WorkCover must be notified immediately by calling 13 10 50.
Workers should report any damage to a supervisor immediately so it can be inspected and assessed.
Damage should be recorded – eg coloured stick-on tags used to show the location and level of damage. See figure 3.
