Forklift Safety Rules: 12 That Target the Deadliest Accidents

On a sit-down forklift that tips over, NIOSH found the overhead guard is generally what crushes an operator who falls or jumps out. NIOSH wrote that "many of the fatalities resulting from overturns of sit-down type forklifts might have been prevented if the operator had been restrained." OSHA's forklift eTool gives the drill for a sit-down counterbalanced truck: don't jump, hold tight to the steering wheel, brace your feet, and lean away from the impact. On a stand-up truck with rear-entry access, the eTool says to step backward off the truck instead.

OSHA: not in 1910.178 itself. Under OSHA's enforcement policy (memo of October 9, 1996), employers must require operators to use seat belts where the truck has them, enforced under Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act.

The rated capacity on the data plate assumes the load sits at the rated load center, usually 24 inches for trucks up to 30,000 pounds. A longer load cuts that capacity. OSHA's own example: a 3,000-pound truck rated at 24 inches can carry only 2,400 pounds when the load center moves out to 30 inches. Attachments cut it further. Our load capacity calculator does the math.

OSHA: 1910.178(o)(2), "Only loads within the rated capacity of the truck shall be handled." Example from Appendix A-5.2 and A-5.3.

A raised load moves the truck's center of gravity up and makes a side tip easier. NIOSH describes a 1995 death in which a shop foreman was turning while backing down a 4 percent grade with the forks raised about 60 inches; the forklift overturned and pinned him under the overhead guard. OSHA's eTool adds: never turn on a grade.

OSHA: 1910.178(n)(7)(i), loaded trucks on grades over 10 percent travel "with the load upgrade"; (n)(7)(iii), load tilted back and raised "only as far as necessary to clear the road surface."

OSHA's eTool lists "tipover caused by driving too fast" and "tipover caused by turning too sharply" as hazards. There is no OSHA speed in miles per hour; the limit is your plant's posted speed, and slower when the floor is wet, the load is high or the turn is tight. See OSHA's forklift speed rules.

OSHA: 1910.178(n)(8), a speed "that will permit it to be brought to a stop in a safe manner"; (n)(15), speed reduced for turns; (n)(10), slow down on wet and slippery floors.

OSHA's eTool is blunt about it: "Falls from a loading dock in a forklift can be fatal." NIOSH describes a 1996 death in which a laborer's sit-down forklift fell off a badly cracked loading dock in the rain and pinned him under the overhead guard. Before driving into a trailer, check that its brakes are set, its wheels are chocked and its floor is sound.

OSHA: 1910.178(m)(6), safe distance from dock and platform edges; (k)(1), highway truck brakes set and rear wheels chocked; (m)(7), trailer floors checked "for breaks and weakness" before driving on.

The rule has no exceptions for "just a second" or for maintenance. OSHA has said in a letter that blocking a raised pallet truck on the forks so a mechanic can work under it still breaks this rule. The overhead guard does not help the operator here either: OSHA says it is "not to withstand the impact of a falling capacity load."

OSHA: 1910.178(m)(2), "No person shall be allowed to stand or pass under the elevated portion of any truck, whether loaded or empty"; (m)(9), overhead guard limits.

Broken pallets, loose boxes and off-center loads shift when the truck brakes or turns. Push the forks as far under the load as they go, tilt the mast back to settle it, and only tilt forward with the load up when it is over the rack or stack. OSHA's eTool also warns that "even a small bump can cause a load to fall off elevated forks," so watch the floor ahead.

OSHA: 1910.178(o)(1), "Only stable or safely arranged loads shall be handled"; (o)(5), forks under the load as far as possible; (o)(6), limits on forward tilt.

A defect that shows up in the inspection is one that does not show up in a tip-over. NIOSH describes a death in which the forklift's rear axle stop was already damaged and its steering had slack before the truck tipped. Use our forklift inspection checklist, and tag out any truck that fails.

OSHA: 1910.178(q)(7), examined before being placed in service, at least daily (after each shift if used around the clock); (p)(1), an unsafe truck is taken out of service until repaired.

A parked truck with raised forks is something to walk into, and a truck left in gear or without the brake can move. OSHA's eTool lists unintended movement of the truck as the hazard. Block the wheels if you park on a slope, and do not block fire aisles, stairways or fire equipment.

OSHA: 1910.178(m)(5)(i), load engaging means fully lowered, controls neutralized, power shut off, brakes set, wheels blocked on an incline; (m)(14), fire aisles and equipment kept clear.