Hyster is proud to participate in the second annual National Forklift Safety Day, sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA). The event, which takes place June 9, 2015, in Washington, DC is an excellent opportunity for manufacturers to provide greater awareness on forklift safety practices and the importance of operator training. 

While this annual event serves as a great reminder for all materials handling industry professionals to review forklift safety and training policies and procedures, at Hyster, safety is our main focus each day. 

To help protect your most important assets, we have compiled a few tips, based on OSHA regulations, on the safe use of forklifts:

o When left unattended, a lift truck’s load should be fully lowered, its controls neutralized, power shut off and brakes set. 

o If a lift truck is parked on an incline, the wheels should be blocked.

o Lift trucks should not be used for opening or closing freight doors.

o A safe distance should be maintained between lift trucks. This distance is approximately three truck lengths from the truck ahead.

o Lift truck operators should slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and other locations where vision is obstructed. If the load carried obstructs forward view, the operator should travel with the load trailing the lift truck. Always look in the direction of travel.

o Grades should be ascended or descended slowly, and when ascending or descending grades in excess of 10 percent, loaded lift trucks should be driven with the load upgrade.

If you’re looking for an OSHA-compliant operator training program, contact your local Hyster dealer to learn about our award-winning Best-In-Class Operator Training Program.