Sadly, there have been a number of incidents recently where workers have been either seriously injured or killed in accidents involving forklifts.

In the first incident, a worker was seriously injured while carrying out maintenance work on a forklift. The carriage and tines were raised and were not supported. They fell, striking and trapping the worker.

Suspended loads (or raised tines) can drop, especially when no restraints are used or where lift force is lost (e.g. loss of hydraulic pressure/power occurs or fracture of a lifting part).

Employers should adhere to the following guidelines when repairing or maintaining plant and equipment:

• Secure or support raised tines when undergoing maintenance work.
• Do not allow anyone to stand, work or walk under raised tines.
• Use only a trained, qualified person to inspect, maintain or repair forklifts.
• Use only licensed gas fitters to repair and/or replace parts on LP gas-powered forklifts.
• Use only qualified tyre fitters to remove and fit tyres.
• Keep detailed records of every inspection, service, maintenance, repair and modification carried out on a forklift. Record dates, names of authorised people involved, and meter readings.
• Ensure unsafe or damaged forklifts are isolated and tagged out until a qualified person has deemed it safe to use.

In the second incident, a business owner was fined $600,000 after a worker suffered fatal head injuries when the modified work box was accidentally raised by an inexperienced and un-licensed apprentice (the apprentice did not hold a high-risk licence to operate the forklift). The rear frame safety attachment had also been removed from the work box.

The apprentice used the forklift to raise his supervisor in the work box to install cabling. During this task, the apprentice inadvertently made contact with the controls and lifted the workbox to the point where the other worker’s head was crushed between the rail of the workbox and the roof.

Work boxes should only be used for special tasks of a short duration, in circumstances where it is not practical to use a scaffold or scissor lift.

If you must use a work box, the following risk control measures must be put in place:

• Work boxes must comply with AS 2359.1 Powered Industrial Trucks – general requirements. This includes:
  • A self-locking inward opening gate
  • Load rated to 250kg
  • Fall arrest anchorage points
  • Fork locking pins
  • A back (head protection) is 2m high
  • A permanent safety sign attached to the back of the work box
• Forklifts must be equipped with flow restrictors or similar (i.e. the valves in the hydraulic lines) to prevent free fall in the event of a hose failure.
• Work boxes should only be attached to a compliant forklift, with a load capacity data plate that says which attachments may be used.
• Safe work procedures for the work to be performed. Ensure workers are trained in these procedures, including emergency procedures so occupants can be rescued if an incident or breakdown occurs.
• Workers must stand on the floor of the work box, not on a ladder or other object.
• If the lifting operation is subject to passing traffic, barriers should be installed to prevent interference.
  
  

Source: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/...