Forklift Safety: Safe Driving Tips

Dan Tandy, Safety and Operator Training Manager

June 9 is National Forklift Safety Day, and here at Fraza, because safety is so important to us, we’d like to celebrate by sharing forklift safe driving tips with you during the entire month of June.

This year, we’re going to highlight specific forklift operator and pedestrian safety tips by sharing videos each week. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), approximately 70 percent of all forklift incidents in the United States could be avoided with proper safety training and policy. While these blog posts won’t take the place of in-person training and certification, they cover some of the most important safety precautions you can take as an operator.

Here are three key forklift safe driving tips to help you remain safe at all times:

  1. Always fasten the safety belt. The largest cause of death with forklifts is from tip overs, but not one fatality has happened in a tip over in the last ten years when the driver was wearing a seatbelt.
  2. Drive at a safe distance. You should always be at least three truck lengths behind other vehicles.
  3. Driving in reverse. You must always look in the direction of travel, even when carrying or depositing a load. This will keep pedestrians in your view and reduce the risk of an accident. For more on this point, please watch the video below.

To get formal forklift operator training, schedule yourself for a class or contact us if you have any questions. And come back next week for more safety tips!