Toyota’s continued commitment to safety sets the standard in the material handling industry. At Toyota, we take safety as an enduring promise to our customers, one that we’ve delivered on time and time again, from our introduction the System of Active Stability in 1999 to our continued support of National Forklift Safety Day.  As Toyota Material Handling President and CEO and former Industrial Truck Association chairman, Brett Wood, says “If you have a safe, comfortable operator, you’ll have a productive operator.”

But maintaining the health and safety of your employees isn’t just imperative to the success of your business. It is also your legal responsibility under OSHA’s General Duty Clause. An unsafe workplace environment can have a much deeper impact than just lost time and productivity or increased cost. Working in unsuitable conditions or operating unsafe machinery can cause considerable damage or even fatal outcomes. What measures can you take to ensure the safety of your employees and maintain a culture of safety awareness for forklift equipment?

Be sure that only trained operators are using any forklifts or other equipment.

All equipment should be properly maintained and inspected regularly to confirm that it is in safe working condition.

All equipment should be used as intended.

An unsafe environment can lead to expensive costs of repairs, including incremental damage that can cost about ten times that of the cost of forklift repairs. Adding a Toyota Planned or Full Maintenance plan can help you ensure the excellent and safe working condition of your forklift and reduce these costly, incremental repairs. By making sure these precautions are in place, you will help protect your employees and your equipment. 

 

As a piece of essential warehouse equipment, forklifts are everywhere. There are currently around 1,000,000 forklifts helping businesses stay organized, and productive throughout the United States. They are one of the most powerful tools in improving efficiency. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Forklifts can be hazardous, and the cause of expensive citations, workplace accidents, injuries, and even death.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), forklift violations are consistently one of the top 10 violations costing businesses about $135,000,000 every year. OSHA also estimates that forklifts cause of approximately 110,000 accidents annually. Of these, about 35,000 resulted in serious injuries, and about 85 accidents resulted in death.

Any workplace that uses forklifts should emphasize forklift safety. Promoting forklift safety will prevent costly violations and accidents. Here are 5 ways to optimize forklift safety:

1. Make sure all employees are educated and properly trained and certified

Studies show that proper training and education is a great deterrent of accidents. Employers should develop and implement a training program based on the general principles of safe operation, the types of forklifts used in the workplace, the potential hazards in the workplace, and the general safety requirements of the OSHA standard. According to OSHA, with these training policies, about 70% of forklift accidents could be prevented.

Additionally, operators must be properly certified per OSHA regulations. OSHA requires forklift operator to be certified in a two-phase training course: a classroom-style training and test, and a hands-on evaluation. Only trained and competent operators can be permitted to operate a forklift. You can find all the necessary information about training and certification here.

2. Understanding your forklift’s load capacity and the Stability Triangle

Many forklift accidents happen because the operators are not knowledgeable about how much their forklifts can carry. In fact, tip-overs due overloading is a leading cause of forklift accidents. So, understanding your forklift’s load capacity is extremely important.

A forklift’s load capacity is found in two places: on the data plate of the forklift, and in the operator’s manual. This capacity refers to a balanced load carried on the stated load center. It can change depending on the attachments used, the height of the lift, and the length of the load.

• • Forklift attachments are anything that is attached to the front carriage or attached to an attachment on the forklift. Generally, as you add attachments to the forklift, the load capacity decreases.
  • Lift height also affects load capacity. Forklifts with high masts will have lower capacity as the lift height increases.
  • The length of the load changes load capacity as well. The longer the length of the load is the lower the capacity.

3. Perform daily inspections and regular maintenance

Maintaining your forklift is not just a great way to extend the life of your forklift, it is also one of the best ways to ensure forklift safety. Regular maintenance safeguards your forklifts against problems that go beyond the normal wear and tear. OSHA requires daily inspections to be performed at the beginning of each shift. If a forklift is equipped with a safety device, the device must be in good working order otherwise the forklift should be tagged out of service until it can be repaired. These daily inspections also help operators identify operational issues so they can be addressed before they become bigger problems or lead to accidents. By keeping your forklift in optimal working condition, you will have a safe operating experience.

4. Be aware of your work environment

A lack of awareness in the workplace can be detrimental not only to the products you are moving but also to your employees. Many accidents occur because the operator or someone in the forklift’s vicinity is not paying attention. Practice mindfulness by paying attention, keeping an eye on where you’re going, using your alarms to alert others of your presence, ensuring your loads are balanced and within load capacity, and driving safely. These five simple actions can prevent accidents and save lives.

5. Store your forklifts properly

Another way to promote forklift safety and prevent accidents is to store your forklifts properly after use. They should be parked on a flat surface. Engage your parking brakes. Make sure your forks are flush to the ground. The forklift should be turned off, and the keys should be removed from the ignition.

Every business owner wants to increase productivity. Here are six easy ways to get more from your forklift.

1. Request a service inspection be conducted regularly. See if a maintenance plan is right for you or help train and back up your in-house technicians.
2. Leave promptly and don’t idle. Don’t start the engine until you’re ready to go to avoid wasting fuel and turn off the engine if it looks like you could be waiting for more than a minute.
3. Don’t make sudden changes in speed. Maintain a steady pace, drive smoothly and accelerate gently. It will save fuel and reduce maintenance costs.
4. Train your drivers. Good training not only helps improve safety, but also trains your operators to approach a load correctly to avoid unnecessary maneuvering and make them more efficient.
5. Keep up-to-date with maintenance. This is extremely important to keep your forklift fuel efficient and running well.
6. Buy the right tires and check them often. If your forklift has pneumatic tires, make sure they are inflated correctly. Under-inflated tires increase fuel consumption and wear more quickly. If your application is primarily indoors on concrete, cushion tires are a better bet.

Forklift certification, sometimes referred to as forklift licensing, is a requirement of any operator of forklifts in a given workplace. While it’s an employer’s responsibility to provide training, at Toyota we’ve found that operators are the ones that have the most at stake in forklift training programs. They are often the associates who ask the best questions when it comes to making sure they’re in compliance with OSHA forklift training standards. That’s why I wanted to take the time to provide three short reminders to operators and employers alike about training requirements.

Three Reminders about Forklift Certification

1. The OSHA Certification Standard for forklift training requires classroom and practical training.

There are two required parts to forklift training:

• Classroom training can be completed online, with educators in the classroom, through video, or a combination of any of these. The intention here is to give operators the knowledge they need about forklifts to successfully (and safely) operate them in a work environment.
• Practical training is required so that operators demonstrate their ability to operate a forklift before they are authorized to use them in the workplace.

2. You have to be trained on all equipment types that you operate and for specific applications.

OSHA requires that training be completed for all “types” of forklifts that an operator uses. For example, if you use a sit-down forklift and operate an order picker, you need to receive forklift certification training to operate both. Do you use a specialized attachment like a paper roll clamp? The use of that attachment needs to be integrated into your training. If you’re operating equipment you haven’t received training on, it’s worth a conversation with your supervisor to get certified ASAP. Training requirements can also vary depending on application (such as in a maritime or construction application).

3. You have to be recertified every three years.

It’s easy to fall out of compliance on this one, especially if you’re a seasoned operator who’s been using similar equipment for years. If your three year anniversary since training is approaching, make sure you let your supervisor know you need to be recertified.

Dillon Toyota Lift offers forklift training for their customer’s operators. No matter the forklift, we will make sure you’re in compliance with all your material handling equipment.

Sending operators to forklift training to improve safety and increase efficiency isn't just a good idea...it's an OSHA requirement.  In a workplace environment, most employee injuries and property damage can be attributed to a lack of, or inadequate, training. A comprehensive forklift safety training program is one of the most effective ways to combat workplace injuries.

There are specific rules set forth by The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) concerning forklift operator training and licensing.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(I) requires that employers provide forklift operators training for vehicle inspection and maintenance. Operators must be over 18 years of age and be recertified at least once every three years. 

Businesses are required to develop and enforce a written program that includes, but is not limited to:

• Forklift Operator training
• Licensure
• Review/renewal program

This is an OSHA requirement for every forklift operator within an organization. Every aspect of the forklift operation must be covered, from setting the parking brake to forklift speed.

Forklift training is available on-line, however, an operator cannot be certified to operate a forklift through an online course! OSHA certification requires:

• Formal instruction in any combination: (lectures, discussions, on-line courses, video presentations, written material).
• Demonstrations performed by a certified trainer and then exercises performed by the trainee.
• A thorough Evaluation of the forklift operator’s performance on the job.

Other OSHA Forklift Requirements:

• Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance: It is important to establish a vehicle inspection and maintenance plan for forklift operators to adhere to. While training is vital, a forklift operating at premium performance helps assure a safe work environment.
• Daily Forklift Checklist: OSHA has an approved daily checklist for all forklift operators to adhere to before they begin each shift.

Dillon Toyota Lift offers a variety of safety training classes for both operators and trainers and safety training materials.  We offer flexible class schedules and training classes available on-site at your facility or any DTL location.  

You’ve got enough paper in your life. Paper you send to suppliers. Paper you send to customers. Monitoring your forklift usage and efficiency shouldn’t require additional stacks of paper. A Vehicle Management System (VMS), like the Toyota T-Matics option can help eliminate paper, keep you organized, and save a few trees in the process. Here are a few ways that you can use T-Matics to go paperless.

Certification and License Expiration Tracking with T-Matics:

Letting licenses and certifications lapse can be a major problem. If you’re tracking these expirations on paper, in a log, or relying on your own or someone else’s memory, you’re setting yourself up to fail. T-Matics COMMAND allows users to enter a date of expiration on the forklift certification of an operator. COMMAND alerts you when it’s time for renewed licensing and training. You can make use of this ability with both established operators and short-term temps. Also, because T-Matics monitors things like impacts, it can help you identify when re-training and certification is necessary.

Operator Historical Data:

The paper associated with tracking operator successes and missteps can be cumbersome, and often falls through the cracks. As an operator, it can be easy to get frustrated if there isn’t a clear measure of how good you really are at your job that is clearly established in writing. As a manager, keeping track of successes is difficult, especially since so much time can be spent on drawing up paperwork to document accidents and impacts.

With a VMS, both of these pain points are eliminated, making everyone happy with their work environment. If you’re a successful operator, your safe practices and focused approach to your job are documented by clear data that illustrates your forklift usage efficiency and lack of impacts on the lift. If you’re a manager, you can reward your best operators, understand who will give you the best ROI during their shifts, and identify those associates who need to shape up in terms of usage and practice.

Preventative Maintenance Made Easy and Efficient:

Trying to schedule preventive maintenance on paper is a hard task. What if you miss the date on your calendar? Worse, what if you haven’t used the lift as much as you expected when that date comes and you don’t need maintenance yet? Or what if you’ve used it more, and need maintenance before the scheduled date?

With T-Matics, computer software keeps track of time and hour usage. It then relays an automatic request for scheduled maintenance to your local Toyota dealer. No more paper scheduling, lengthy phone calls discussing timing, or missteps in maintenance intervals. Using this function can be an important step in maintaining your lifts’ uptime.

Daily Equipment Checklist:

Paper checklists are a mess to file. It’s annoying to find a hard surface to write on. And time is wasted trying to find the right office supplies to make it happen. A VMS like Toyota’s T-Matics makes this system automated and files all of these reports electronically. No more paper. Simple.

I like that VMS systems offer all of these great advantages for your company when used effectively. But it also doesn’t hurt that you can get the reputation of an environmentally conscience company with a clear understanding of your responsibility to the planet. That’s a powerful message for a whole lot of clients and customers. Going paperless with T-Matics helps you win and keep on winning.

Written by:  Linley Kullman, Telematics Support Administrator, Toyota Material Handling, USA

Forklifts are used every day all over the world to move material and keep supply chains up and running. Nearly everything you see has come into contact with a forklift at some point along the way.  Any individual who operates a forklift is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to undergo forklift operator safety training and to be certified on every different type of forklift an operator drives. When you take an operator safety training course with Dillon Toyota Lift, here are some of the things you’ll learn:

1.Who can operate a forklift?  Only trained, qualified operators should ever operate a forklift.

2. The difference between forklifts and automobiles.  Forklifts are different from automobiles. While at first glance it may not seem to be the case, a forklift weighs much more than a car or truck. The steer wheels are in the back meaning they steer differently.

3. How to enter and exit a forklift.  A three point stance should be used when both entering and exiting a forklift. Two hands and one foot should be in contact with the forklift at all times.

4. How to read a forklift data plate.  All forklifts should have a legible, accurate data plate. For each special attachment, a data plate reflecting changes in load capacity should also be secured to the forklift.

5. The operation of a loaded versus an unloaded forklift.  A loaded forklift is more stable than an unloaded forklift because of the change of location of the combined center of gravity.

6. The role of pedestrians in safe forklift operation.  Pedestrians play a role in forklift safety, just as operators do. Pedestrians should understand and be aware of the operating characteristics of forklifts as well as the environment they share with the forklifts.  It should never be assumed that the pedestrian is seen by the operator.

7. The necessity of pre-operation forklift inspections.  It is required that all operators perform pre-operation inspections to identify that all forklift systems work properly before being placed into service. Engines, transmissions, brakes, mast and hydraulics, electrical systems, accessories, etc. should all be in working order. If not, the forklift should be tagged out/removed from service, and appropriate repairs should be made prior to operating the forklift.

8. How to operate a forklift on ramps.  Some forklifts should not be operated on ramps. Always refer to the appropriate forklift operator manual for instructions on correct ramp operation.

9. How forklift safety is reinforced.  Each employer must reinforce safety rules and practices as well as correct unsafe operator behavior.

There is much more to forklift operator safety training than just taking a test.  While a test is involved in operator safety training, trainees will also watch formal training videos and participate in hands-on forklift demonstrations and supervised equipment operation.  Contact Dillon Toyota Lift to schedule your training class.