If you’re in charge of a facility that needs forklifts for completing daily tasks, it’s important to be aware of how often operators should inspect forklifts. Even if you’re not directly operating these forklifts, it can become a problem for you if your employees are partaking in reckless actions during work hours that put your whole facility in violation of OSHA standards. This quick guide to the subject will help you enforce these regular inspections to prevent common mechanical problems and other issues in the workplace from arising.
To put it simply, your employees should inspect their forklifts at least once each day. That being said, there are some nuances to consider regarding this subject. How frequently your operators should inspect their forklift comes down to how your specific facility functions. If your facility is operating round-the-clock day after day, then the forklifts need to undergo a safety inspection at the end of every shift.
That way, if any issues have come up over the course of the previous shift, employees can address them before another operator takes over. However, if you don’t run a 24/7 facility then you have to enforce daily pre-shift inspections. This means that when a forklift operator comes into work at the start of the day, before doing any tasks with their forklift, they have to carry out a thorough safety inspection in accordance with OSHA standards. Not only will this help employees spot any issues as mentioned above, but it’ll also help them keep an eye on when it’s time to carry out certain maintenance procedures.
Whether it’s a leak or wear-and-tear on the tires, forklift operators can catch these issues and more during their inspections, hence why they’re so necessary. Without carrying out an inspection, instead of receiving quick resolutions, mechanical problems will remain in place and worsen over time. There are many common forklift accidents, including technical difficulties stemming from a lack of maintenance, that are very preventable with the right operator at the helm.
It may seem like a waste of time to do it daily, but if an operator inspects the forklift before each new shift, it can help them avoid experiencing malfunctions while they’re operating it in a work area. Now that you know how often operators should inspect forklifts, enforce this practice in your facility on a daily basis to maintain a reputable place of business that abides by the necessary OSHA standards.
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