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fork lift stability accidents happen when trucks tip over
in a sideways direction than when they tip forwards. The golden
rule is STAY ON THE TRUCK AND DON'T JUMP!
Nowadays seatbelts are supposed to be fitted
to many types of truck and you can click here
to find out the regulations about these. If a truck is fitted
with a seatbelt it makes good sense to use it always.
When considering sideways or lateral stability
it's useful to use a car as an analogy. Comparing a fork lift
to a car we have the following:
- There is no suspension to take care of the bumps on a
fork lift
- A truck is relatively narrow in width
- A truck is relatively high compared to a car especially
when the load is raised
To make sure a truck doesn't overturn, operators should observe
the following rules:
- Avoid turning at excessive speed and note that it's worse
when unladen!
- Do not turn with an elevated load. If the job can't be
done properly, a full risk assessment should be carried
out by management.
- Cross obstructions such as gullies and the like diagonally
at an angle of about 45 degrees and very slowly
- Check tyres at the start of every shift. Note that a
pneumatic tyre deflating can cause serious lateral stability
problems.
- Do not elevate a load with full rear tilt applied.
- Watch out for potholes, rubbish on the floor and other
floor obstructions
- Make sure that loads and forks are not offset
- Centralise loads
For details of stability testing click here>>
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