Fork Lift Safety - There's an App for that

Select Equipment has launched Forklift Safety Pro, the first ever Forklift Daily Inspection Mobile Application for Apple’s iOS platform to run on iPhone, iPod, and iPad.  A version for Google’s Android operating system will be launched shortly.

The Forklift Safety Pro application allows lift truck operators to complete their daily or pre-shift inspections electronically using their iPhone or iPod mobile device.  The completed inspection reports are then transmitted electronically to the email address of your choosing, typically a supervisor or dedicated inspection form repository.


According to Dale Verseput, Select Equipment’s Director of Sales, “The daily and pre-shift inspection reports as required by OSHA under Section 1910.178(q)(7) really lend themselves to the portability of a mobile application.  With Forklift Safety Pro, the employer has an inspection report which is Date/Time Stamped, is secure and durable, and can be archived in a paperless format.”

Other features of the application include a daily safety question, a counter which lets the operator know how many days are left before he or she is required to be “re-certified”, and if needed, an OSHA incident report form, a service request form, and an unsafe vehicle reporting form.

Additional Resources and Safety Video:
http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/forklift-incident-drops-led-screen-on.html

Forklift Incident Drops LED Screen on Worker Killing Him

2011-08-08 - Thousand Oaks, California.  The owner of an LED video screen rental company was crushed and killed when the 1,500 pound screen fell from a fork lift while disassembling the unit after a show.  The incident occurred around 1:00 PM at Earl Warren Showgrounds after the weekend rodeo event.  Killed was 49 year old David Mann, owner of Jumbo Screen Company (www.jumboscreen.com).

This is an image of a similar 10' x 17' screen in use.  CalOSHA is investigating the incident and details of why the screen came loose from the fork lift are not available.  Other workers were able to lift the screen off of the victim before emergency crews could arrive, however, attempts to resuscitate the man were not successful.

Shown at right are workers surveying the damaged screen after emergency crews had transported Mr. Mann to a local hospital.

Notes for show workers:  Do NOT stand under heavy objects being lifted.  Be sufficiently far away from the object so that if they fall to the ground you will not be struck by it.  for vertically oriented objects, be outside of the height of the object so if it falls over you will not be crushed by it.  Secure your loads and double-check them.

OSHA Information regarding forklifts:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/poweredindustrialtrucks/index.html

Forklift Safety Guide (State of Illinois):
http://www2.illinoisbiz.biz/osha/PDF/Books/01%20Eng_Forklift.pdf

And a safety video (be patient - it starts out slow and builds to a really amazing ending):

Lighting the way safely

Loading docks can be very hazardous places.  Working backstage at load-in or strike can be dangerous for a variety of reasons, and the risk shouldn't be ignored.  Loading areas are categorized as 'Material Handling Areas" and operations should be conducted in the context of a warehousing or factory environment.  OSHA has a large portion of their web site devoted to materials handling environments and it's worth a look.

Check out: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/products/etools/pit/index.html

Hazards include:

• Crushing (load shifts and fall on or against workers, being caught between moving vehicles and stationary objects, forklift tip-overs, dropped items [time for steel toed shoes!])
• Falling (walking or driving off of an unguarded loading dock, falling from storage racks)
• Poor visibility (trucks are full of equipment and you can't see other workers)
• Heat exhaustion (or just plain being worn-out after a 20 hour day...)
• Poor illumination (dock areas and trailer interiors not properly lit)

The folks at Rite-Hite (http://www.righthite.com/) have solutions for many of these issues.  Need a dock light and can't get funding?  Play the GREEN cards (not the imigrant worker card, the other GREEN ones - Energy Savings and Safety.

If you need more ammunition, go to OSHA 1926.56.  Also, take a look at Rite-Hite's LED flexible-arm Dock Light for loading areas:

More info at:  http://www.dockresource.com/ark/rhweb/rhprod.nsf/be3416037643a09485256a2500511f6a/dbb29d6835402baa862575d9004b1b37!OpenDocument