Truck, lift, hazards

Vehicle finishing units fire and explosion hazards Diesel engined lift trucks in hazardous areas... 

Forkdift drivers need to be skilled, experienced, and safetyconscious, since the misplacement of a pallet on a high stack can present a serious hazard. They work in well-insulated protective clothing and in short spells within a shift if the room is much below 0°C. Fork-lift trucks are available with enclosed, heated driver s cabs. Extra staff are required if the traffic is constant. Targe stores will have a wide loading platform outside at floor level to permit fork-lift trucks to manoeuvre their loads onto vehicles. 

Hazard communication and personal protective equipment and emergency procedures training are addressed in Chapter 4. As with conventional warehouse operations, employees should be trained in safe lift truck operations, lifting and other procedures which are not specific to chemical warehouse operations. However, in a chemical warehouse, instructions on these routine functions should be tailored to address the unique hazards present in the chemical warehouse environment. 

If at any time, a powered industrial truck is found to be in need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe, the truck must be taken out of service until it has been restored to a safe operating condition. High-lift rider trucks must be equipped with substantial overhead guards unless operating conditions do not permit. Fork trucks must be equipped with vertical-load backrest extensions when the types of loads present a hazard to the... 

In taking steps to avoid hazardous manual handling operations, first check whether the load needs to be moved or whether the following operation can be carried out next to the load. Consideration should be given to automation, particularly if new processes are involved and can be incorporated at an early stage, or mechanisation such as the use of a fork-lift truck. However, care must be taken to avoid creating new hazards which may arise through the use of automation or mechanisation. 

Understands the main hazards associated with the use of forklift trucks, conveyors and lifting equipment. 

In this stage, risks are eliminated. An example of this is a manual handling hazard in which lifting heavy boxes may result in back strain. The risk may be avoided through the use of a mechanical aid (fork-lift truck), therefore eliminating the risk of back injury with the task. Another example is where a fire hazard exists in a particular area of a plant. Switching to non-combustible materials can eliminate this hazard, and so prevent it being realized. 

Objectives should relate to some part of your overall goal. For example Develop and implement a program to train and license fork lift truck drivers. This objective relates to the part of your goal to make sure that all employees understand the hazards and potential hazards of their work and how to protect themselves and others. 

Many of the hazards and controls required for vehicle movements on construction sites have been covered earlier in this chapter. Common vehicles found on construction sites include site dumper trucks, fork lift trucks with telescopic handlers, all terrain and rough terrain vehicles, excavators and tipper lorries. On larger construction sites various types of earth moving equipment may also be used. 

Also, do not overlook gasoline and carbon monoxide. Safety data sheets do not have to be provided for vehicles such as lift trucks, tractors, or automobiles. However, SDSs are required for the gasoline and other fuels used by the vehicles. Employees should be aware of the potential for exposure to carbon monoxide and associated physical hazards of petroleum fuel products such as fire and explosion. 

Reply The use of such lifting devices usually affects the capacity and safe operation of a powered industrial truck, therefore the user would be required to request approval from the manufacturer for such modification and addition to the powered industrial truck. OSHA will evaluate what standard would be particularly applicable to forklifts modified with booms or other devices on a case-by-case basis. Also, a June 1996, OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin regarding this subject is enclosed for your information. 

Another means of protecting against the explosion hazard in flammable atmospheres is to employ gas detectors. The principle is that the gas detectors detect flammable gas/air mixtures at a low percentage, typically 10%, of the LEL and cause an alarm to sound. If the concentration reaches 25% or so of the LEL, the system automatically initiates a shutdown of the process. This type of technique is commonly used in process plants such as oil and gas refineries, LEG storage tank farms, chlorine doping rooms in water treatment plants, and on vehicles such as electric fork lift trucks operating in Zone 1 and 2 areas. 

Dry chemicals arrive at the treatment plant in bags, drums, bulk delivery trucks, or railcars. Often bags and drums are on pallets, and these are moved to storage areas within the plant. Lifting chemical bags or other containers is one of the most common causes of injuries. Operators should use proper lifting methods and hoists to avoid this hazard. 

Mechanical handling techniques have improved efficiency and safety, but have introduced other sources of potential injury. Cranes and hoists, and powered trucks and fork-lifts are the primary means for mechanical handling on site. In all circumstances the safety of the equipment can be affected by the safety of operating conditions, site hazards and the operator. 

Fork-lift trucks must not be driven at excessive speed, but only in accordance with site conditions and any rules in the safety plan. At blind comers, signs and audio-visual warnings should be considered in workshops and stores, warning signs will be displayed, and operating areas and overhead obstmctions painted to highlight hazards. 

Description of hazard. Water plant operations and maintenance tasks include various materials-handling activities. These work activities include manual lifting and the operation of cranes and hoists and powered industrial trucks, and other tasks related to water treatment and distribution. Workers can be at risk of collisions with moving parts and equipment, strain or injury from exertion or improper techniques, and other injuries. 

Dock safety. Docks are busy by nature and also hazardous. Many injuries occur when lift trucks go off a dock, when product falls on an enq)loyee or visitor, or when someone is struck by a piece of equipment. Fires are not uncommon at a dock. Chemical spills also occur for which extensive cleanup plans are... 

Appropriate signs are needed on the sliding gate to warn of its movement as well as fall hazards. The garage door opener controls are usually only on lift trucks that feed product onto a particular mezzanine. 

When traveling, keep focused on the direction of the lift truck, watching for any hazards in the working area. Also, for maximum safety, be sure to maintain the stability of the load. The illustration in Figure 10-5 serves as a reminder to look before backing. 

Industrial trucks can be powered by electric batteries, liquid propane gas (LPG), gasoline, diesel fuel, and compressed natural gas (CNG). Some types of lift trucks should not be used in the presence of certain chemicals or conditions. The current OSHA regulation, 1910.178 for powered industrial trucks, contains descriptions of the various divisions, classes, and groups of classified hazardous areas. The hazardous materials that determine which lift trucks can be used are also listed in the regulation. Since OSHA was promulgated, the number of substances that contribute to fire and/or explosion has greatly increased. 

Figure 11-1. This overhead conveyor is equipped with metal mesh to prevent product from falling to the lower level. The striped tape alerts lift truck operators to the overhead hazard.

Electric-powered industrial trucks offer a very good solution to the carbon monoxide problem. However, even though electric lift trucks do not produce carbon monoxide, they do present other hazards such as exposure to corrosive battery acid and an explosive atmosphere from the hydrogen gases emitted by the electric truck battery. Each type of powered industrial truck poses its own set of potential problems. 

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