Parking sounds like the easy part. It is also the part that leaves a truck sitting unattended for hours, with people walking past it and, on some sites, children and members of the public nearby. A badly parked truck is a tripping hazard, a runaway risk and an invitation to unauthorised use.
The parking routine
- Park in a designated area, on level ground, away from pedestrian routes, fire exits, fire equipment, doorways and electrical panels.
- Lower the forks fully to the floor and tilt the mast forward so the fork tips are flat on the ground. Raised fork tips at shin height are one of the commonest causes of trips and cuts in warehouses.
- Put the controls in neutral and apply the parking brake.
- Switch off. For LPG trucks, close the cylinder valve if the truck will be left for an extended period or overnight.
- Remove the key and put it in the key cabinet or hand it to the supervisor. A key left in a truck is an invitation to an untrained person.
- Electric trucks: plug in to charge if that is the site routine, following the charging area procedure.
Never leave a truck
- On a slope or ramp, even for a moment. If there is no alternative, chock the wheels.
- With a raised load. Lower it first, even if you are coming straight back.
- Running and unattended. If you are more than a few metres away and cannot see the truck, it should be switched off with the key out.
- Blocking a fire exit, an aisle, a crossing point or another vehicle.
Attended or unattended?
The HSE regards a truck as unattended when the operator is more than about seven metres away or cannot see it. The full parking routine applies. If the operator is closer and can see the truck, the forks must still be lowered, the controls in neutral and the brake applied, but the engine may be left running.