Are you Ready for your next OSHA Inspection?

March 7th, 2021 - Lift Truck Center can help you and your business be prepared for OSHA compliance on your lift trucks and material handling equipment

The Lift Truck Center professionals genuinely care about the safety of your employees and equipment. Contrary to many stories, OSHA is not our enemy. With a little preparation, you can avoid putting your employees in harms way and your business at risk of receiving costly citations. There’s no secret, lift trucks are targeted equipment, should you find yourself unexpectedly rolling out the welcome mat to an OSHA inspector. Why are lift trucks a target? The reason is that many employers don’t fully understand their obligations, and the equipment is often neglected or serviced infrequently.

The following are key areas that will be reviewed during an OSHA inspection of your equipment and record keeping.

• Are capacity plates and safety decals in place and legible? Worn, damaged or missing decals need to be replaced. The use of fork extensions or addition of any attachment requires de-rated capacities be listed on the capacity data plate.
• Are all hydraulic function levers clearly identified as to what operation they perform?
• Are load backrests, overheard guards installed and free of damage?
• Are fork pins in place and are forks worn beyond 10%?
• Are horns, audible warning and safety lights all working properly?
• Are seatbelts or operator tethers free of damage and being used properly?
• Are neutral start switches, and operator presence systems working?
• Are hoods and panels latching, and tires/wheels in good condition?
• Are batteries properly sized, weighted and safely secured inside the truck compartment?
• Are the proper PPE accessible and being used when handling batteries?
• Is the equipment operators manual onboard for easy access?
• Are Pre-Shift equipment inspections being consistently performed, and are your operator certifications current (with proof)?
• Are maintenance records current showing proof that the equipment is being properly maintained?

If any of the above items made your eye twitch, please contact your Lift Truck Center product support representative for a complimentary evaluation to review how you would fare. They’re also qualified to train your operators (or provide materials if you opt to train your own operators). We’re committed to helping you raise the bar on equipment safety and minimize your risk of receiving an OSHA fine.