1 The reverse ram
How it happens: The driver has his eyes facing forward on the load and fails to check for traffic behind before moving backwards. On a good day, the truck might collide with an inanimate object. On a bad day, it could strike a passing forklift, or – worse – a pedestrian.
How to stop it happening: "Training, training, training" says Marc Paxford, operator training manager at Toyota Material Handling, who points to relentless driver education as fundamental to avoiding all five of our accident scenarios (see essential guide to training box on the next page).
The key lesson in how to avoid the reverse ram is to coach truck operators always to look in the direction of travel, stresses Paxford. Drivers should also perform a 360 degree visual checks before setting off, according to the Fork Lift Truck Association.
Technology can also help. Several major truck manufacturers offer sensor-based safety boosting systems. Linde's BlueSpot projects a spotlight several feet from the truck to alert an oblivious passer-by to a truck's presence. Toyota offers SpotMe, an infrared early warning system. A reversing truck triggers LED warning lights to flash on a wall-mounted unit, which alerts pedestrians to the approaching vehicle.
HSE also recommends trucks are fitted with reversing bleepers, flashing warning beacon, and that both drivers and pedestrians wear hi-vis PPE to minimise reversing risks.
2 Truck loading hazards
How it happens: The confluence of HGVs, forklifts and general traffic makes Goods In/Out the factory's accident blackspot. A 49-year-old fork lift truck driver was killed when a delivery lorry reversed into the side of his vehicle outside AAK UK's factory in Runcorn in 2011. AAK was prosecuted by HSE and fined £140,000 after an investigation found drivers had regularly driven onto a public road to load trucks.
Collisions aren't the only hazard of Goods In/Out. The task of raising loads on and off a truck under time pressures can send a driver's safety focus awry, says Paxford. "You see operators drive away with their load still up in the air on raised forks. It only takes a pot hole and over the machine goes. They should have backed straight off the truck and lowered the load first... But they can become complacent."
How to stop it happening: Thoroughly risk assess your Goods In/Out area and mitigate the hazards. Managers should address the safe movement of lift trucks including where they meet other traffic as part of their overall safety policy. AAK responded to the accident by creating a no-parking zone to allow forklifts to load trucks without venturing onto a public road.
Incoming vehicles must also now book-in before delivering to the factory. These are all measures that a risk assessment would pick up to help save lives. For a template risk assessments, visit http://tinyurl.com/kfcxan6
3 Racking collisions
How it happens: A driver is distracted by what's on the forks as he or she moves pallets onto a rack. The operator forgets to check what's in front or behind before moving off and collides with the base of the rack. The shunt damages the truck and racking, and potentially brings thousands of pounds worth of stock crashing down to terra firma.
How to stop it happening: Start by choosing the right truck for the job, says Kevin Nolan, training manager at Linde. "Sometimes, what can cause this type of accident is taking a big truck into an area only suitable for a smaller one." A wide range of narrow aisle forklifts are available from major suppliers to help your drivers safely navigate even the pokiest passageway.
But the right equipment is only half the story, stresses Nolan. "Make sure the operators have adequate training and know how they're going to behave in that area," he warns. Again, operators should be taught always to look in the direction of travel.
Another safeguard could be placing protective barriers around racking. This won't stop scrapes to your trucks, but will protect your people from a catastrophic collapse of shelving units after a major shunt (http://tinyurl.com/ks7pm6a).
4 Overloading
How it happens: There are two types. First the bluffer's backlash: a cocksure driver thinks he can cope with a load heavy enough to give Hercules a hernia. The truck splutters to a half lift then buckles under the weight and falls forward in an ungraceful belly flop towards the titanic load.
A second common overload hazard is less conspicuous. A truck may be carrying a weight within its lifting limits, but the object causes vehicle instability, particularly when turning, or on an incline.
How to stop it happening: Educate your truck operators on the importance of checking maximum load capacities (displayed on a capacity plate on most trucks). Your driver training programme should also address lift truck stability and how truck handling differs under significant loads.
Speed limiters could be a useful counter measure. Slower vehicles will be more stable and give drivers extra time to react to hazards. Contact the truck manufacturer and supplier for help in this area.
5 Operator abuse
How it happens: Best practice goes in one ear and out the other as operators do their best audition for The Keystone Cops. From giving employees a lift on the cab to the factory canteen to letting them ride on forks to reach items from racking, the cowboy driver and his clan are constantly coming up with innovative ways to cause injuries.
How to stop it happening: It starts with you, the manager, says Paxford of Toyota. "If you have nobody controlling your operators then, quite simply, they will drive how they believe they should drive." Managers on the shopfloor can have the same moderating effect as a police car appearing on a public road, adds Paxford. "The traffic slows down to 70mph and, all of a sudden, your hands go to ten to two and quarter to three on the steering wheel – you drive exactly how you were taught in basic training." The trouble is that many managers lack the confidence to fulfil their role as law enforcers, says Paxford. "On many sites there are no 'policemen'... many managers have had no formal training on forklift trucks so it's very difficult for them to say: 'excuse me John, you're doing that incorrectly."
In fact, the PUWER regulations 1998 state that all managers and supervisors should undergo training in the use of forklifts. If any of your management team can't tell their counterweights from their rear combination lights then contact your truck supplier and talk to it about enrolling them on the next available training course.
Essential guide to driver train
How often should I train? HSE advises automatic refresher training every three to five years with constant monitoring of operators' performance in case they need training earlier.
Who should perform the training? Only instructors who are qualified on the types of lift truck you operate and offer some industrial experience. Employers should satisfy themselves the training plan is in line with the HSE's Rider operated lift trucks ACOP (http://tinyurl.com/6zfkk4e)
What should training include? Basic skills to operate a truck, specific job training for the vehicle at hand and familiarisation training, applying the theory on the job.
Should we issue certification? There's no legal requirement, but certificates prove your operators received relevant training and met the standard. But remember – issuing a shiny certificate isn't an excuse to put your feet up and let operators get on with it. HSE recommends routine monitoring to make sure safety standards are being met.
