Forklift Safety Tip #10 - Driving With The Forks Too High!
Most forklift operators have no idea how close their bad driving habits bring them to tipping the forklift over. A large number of accidents where forklifts roll over are caused by drivers trying to turn or stop the forklift just a little faster than they usually do.
Their normal bad driving habits have them operating so close to tipping over that just a small change like going a few kilometers per hour faster than usual can spell disaster.
You see, forklifts are only made to withstand an emergency braking or turning procedure with out tipping over if the fork arms are very low to the ground. In normal driving, the forks are supposed to be no higher than the front axle (below the middle of the front wheel).
If the forks are higher than the front axle, you won't be able to turn a forklift in an emergency without it tipping over sideways. When you try and brake in an emergency it will tip over forwards and will generally keep tipping until the forks hit the ground. (Meaning the higher the forks are, the more severe the accident)
This is why operators are supposed to wait until they are very close to the racking or truck that they are loading onto before lifting the forks above the front axle. The further away they are, or the earlier they start to raise the forks, the greater the risk of an accidents occurring.
If a person, car or another forklift comes around the corner then there is no way of stopping or turning to avoid them without tipping over. Watch any forklift at your site as they load a truck or put loads into racking and you'll see the operator starting to raise their forks and load as they are driving in. If they are any further away then about the length of the forklift they are just inviting trouble.
One of the most common bad habits in forklift drivers is raising and lowering the forks while driving. They leave them selves with no way of stopping or turning in an emergency situation without tipping over. Because of the way they raise and lower the forks as they're driving, all it takes is to turn a little faster or more suddenly than usual and the forklift rolls over.
For any assistance or for more information regarding this matter, feel free to call our office on 1300 799 112 or email me nathan@ausforklifttraining.com.au
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