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Required safety equipment on forklift

Number of messages: 13

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dave_k
North Carolina, United States

I have not been able to find the exact safety equipment requirements (back up warning, warning lights, rear view mirrors, etc.) for forklifts. Please point me in the right direction.

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Safety is as safety does

Posted 20 Apr 2005 06:15 AM

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duodeluxe
New Hampshire, United States

Dave K; Your insurance company is the best source to advise you what they would like you to have. Basically what is required by OSHA is an overhead guard, load backrest, a legible specification and capacity plate that corresponds to how your truck is equipped and a seat belt, if the truck can be outfitted with one. Trucks that do not have a hood that locks in place may not and probably should not be outfitted with a seat belt. Rear view mirrors, back up alarms and warning lights are not required by OSHA and as a matter of fact some of our most safety conscious customers will not allow them.

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gitrucks@adelphia.net

Posted 20 Apr 2005 06:44 AM

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arun_p
New Jersey, United States

Dave K, Access Control Group offers system to help comply with OSHA 1910.178. Our system, Vigilant G2 only allows certified operator on the truck and monitors their certification expiration.

The sytem also notified supervisor when operators' training approaches expiration.

Posted 22 Apr 2005 06:03 AM

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dan_m
Ontario, Canada

Don't forget the horn. Standard equipment on all classes of lift trucks.

Posted 15 Oct 2005 10:42 AM

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garry_p
New Brunswick, Canada

Don't forget to add adequate brakes to your list of "safety items".
Brakes, horn, back-up alarm and/or flashing light, load backrest.  A driver's overhead guard and serial number plate that you can read as certainly safety items as well.
Each area may have a specific requirement for a back-up alarm and/or a flashing light.  Personally, I recommend both.
As for a back-up mirror:  drivers must look in the direction of travel so a mirror is only to be used when exiting a stacked pallet or removing a stacked pallet.  For that say, 4 feet, a driver is paying attention to their forks or load so a mirror can help, but not for reverse travel from point A to point B.
Garry

Posted 15 Nov 2005 12:44 AM

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DonB
Victoria, Australia

Have a look at EV Fork. [url/email removed]. Pedestrian & Forklift Accident Warning System.

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EV Alert Can See Around Corners

Posted 25 Nov 2005 10:56 AM

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Oliv
., Portugal

Is an emergency stop required?

Posted 18 Apr 2007 07:08 AM

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Jplayer
North Carolina, United States

Generally as a requirement of safety equiptment the standard equiptment is a horn, seatbelt and side restraints on seat.
It really depends on your company's environment and the osha regulations for your mfg environment.

Standard safety equiptment varys umong lifttruck mfg's.
Most companies install and maintain repair on std horns, a warning strobe lamp of some type, a operator seat with seatbelt and side restraints, backup beeper/buzzer of some type, fire extingusiher, in alot of applications headlights and tail lights which are options.
Some require mirrors depending on the requirements of the company's safety standards.

Of course there are maintaining the normal operations of the lift such as brakes and tires, overhead guard inspections, etc.

Being that i work for cat most of our equiptment comes with a standard seat with seatbelt and siderestraints, standard horn and backup alarm.
Most of these are options that are ordered in the lift when it is purchased and may be addons.

If you wanted a safety compliant lift having all these options wouldnt hurt, in fact they would be a plus as far as insurance evaluations.
Of course keep this in mind, once these items are installed on the lift by a qualified technition it is required for your company to keep these items in good working order at all times. It is the tech's responsibility to keep these items working and to inform you if they arent, and possibly tag the machine out of service if necessary until they are repaired. And no he is not permitted to remove any safety item/device no matter what. If it's on there its ON THERE! and required to work. ;o)

As far as i know the OSHA requirement on safety equiptment is whatever comes on the lift as a factory standard. And it is required to function properly.

Not sure if this helped or not, hope it did somewhat

Laterz,

-------------------------
John Player Jr

Modified 18 Apr 2007 08:16 AM
by poster.

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DonB
Victoria, Australia

Have a talk with Forklifts Inc. they can help you with an economical warning system. They hve a rep in Nth C. forkliftsinc . com

Posted 18 Apr 2007 08:55 AM

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Jplayer
North Carolina, United States

dave_k,
If this is an electric truck the same things apply for what i posted above with the exception in the case of a standup unit, a quick disconnect on the battery connector or a power disconnect button.
All other saftey options in mentioned are optional and required only if they have been installed from the factory.

Later,

-------------------------
John Player Jr

Posted 18 Apr 2007 09:40 AM

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joseph_h
Michigan, United States

dave k:

There is no uniform list of required equipment for forklifts. The requirements vary based on the type of forklift, the tasks that the forklift will perform, and the state/country/etc. where the forklift will be operated.

North Carolina is a state plan state but it has adopted federal OSHA 1910.178, Powered Industrial Trucks for its forklift requirements. Google: OSHA.GOV for a free copy of these regulations. Click on Standards. Click on General Industry. Click on and download 1910.178 and also 1910.178 Appendix A.

Federal OSHA 1910.178 also adopts by reference the national consensus standard American National Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks, Part II, ANSI B56.1-1969. You can obtain a free updated copy of this standard which is now called ANSI/ITSDF, B56.1-2005, SAFETY STANDARD FOR LOW LIFT AND HIGH LIFT TRUCKS from the Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation. Google: ITSDF.ORG. Click on B56 Standards from the far left column. Click on the desired standard and follow the instructions.

Free consultation assistance is available in your state from the North Carolina Department of Labor, OSHNC, Bureau of Consultative Services. Google: OSHA.GOV. From the OSHA home page click on Standards. On the Standards home page click on State Programs from the far right column. On the State Programs home page, click on your state for the contact information.

Posted 19 Apr 2007 11:51 AM

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Jplayer
North Carolina, United States

yes joseph is correct,
there isnt really a standard requiremnt list for lifttrucks
and his source is excellent for info on what the industry standards are in your area
and as i stated before and you'll probably see in those documents
the requirements of the truck are factory installed equiptment ie: horn etc
and if it's installed "on" the truck then it is a requirement for it to be operational.
as for making a truck safety compliant?
that part is pretty much at you and/or your company's discression for the requirements for safety.

good source there joseph :o)

Later,

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John Player Jr

Posted 19 Apr 2007 03:00 PM

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Panthertrainer
Ohio, United States

dave k,

Stick with the quality advice joeseph h and a few others are telling you, several others on the post must have interpreted your question as "I really want to buy a forklift safety system of some type please sell me one," which is clearly not what you asked. There is certainly nothing wrong with a little self promotion here and there, but at least the question he asked should be answered first.

Modified 10 Aug 2007 00:24 AM
by poster.

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