Every site has its own rules, but these ten apply everywhere a lift truck runs. Print them, pin them by the key cabinet, and go through them at the next toolbox talk.
- Check the truck before you use it. Every shift, every time you take over from someone else. If it has a safety defect, take the key out and report it.
- Wear the seat belt. If the truck tips, the belt keeps you inside the overhead guard. Operators who jump get crushed.
- Travel with the forks low and the mast tilted back. About 150 mm off the floor, load against the backrest. Raised loads tip trucks.
- Slow down before you turn. Cornering with a load is when most overturns happen. Walking pace near pedestrians, always.
- Look where you are going. If the load blocks your view, drive in reverse. Look over your shoulder, not in the mirror, and keep looking.
- Sound the horn at corners, doorways and crossings. Then slow down anyway. The horn is a warning, not a right of way.
- Nobody rides on the truck and nobody goes up on the forks. No exceptions, no matter how quick the job is.
- Nobody walks or stands under a raised load. That includes you. Do not reach under the forks to adjust a pallet.
- Know the capacity and respect it. Read the plate. If the load is longer, heavier or higher than the plate allows, stop and ask.
- Park properly. Forks flat on the floor, mast tilted forward, parking brake on, key out. Never on a slope, never blocking an exit or a fire point.
Every one of these rules exists because someone was killed or seriously hurt when it was broken. For the reasoning behind them, read our complete guide to forklift training and the guide to why forklift accidents happen.