Forklift trucks are highly relevant in factories and warehouses. They are used in transporting materials, goods, packages and other heavy loads from one place to another. They make lifting loads faster and easier.

A forklift, true to its name, lifts load using a metal fork. This fork can be lowered or elevated depending on where the lifted load needs to be placed. As useful as they are, it is inevitable that they cause or get involved in accidents that lead to minor to serious injuries and sometimes even death.
 
Accidents
Many of the accidents that involve forklift trucks usually come from human errors. Operators should undergo training before being allowed to operate the trucks. They should have enough practice in driving and operating the forklift so that they become familiar with its controls, what it can do, and its limitations.

At times workers get caught up with the trucks and injure themselves. This happens especially when the trucks make a sudden turn without seeing the workers who are nearby. There are even cases where a worker gets trapped to a wall and gets pinned by the truck.

Some get squeezed between two trucks. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA, forklifts are responsible or involve in 85 deaths every year in the United States alone. It also left 34,900 individuals with serious injuries and 61,800 with minor injuries.

Safety tips
To avoid accidents and the loss of lives, safety measures need to be followed strictly.
•    Before choosing to forklift hire, businesses should check if the operators have received proper training
•    Forklifts trucks should be checked before and after using them. Any malfunction on the vehicle is dangerous to the operator, and everyone working around it.
•    Operators must always have vision of the direction they are headed rather than depending on their familiarity of the area. They should always look at where they are turning especially if the lifted load/s is blocking their view.
•    Move the fork “ONLY” when the vehicle is on full-stop.
•    The truck should not lift loads that are heavier than its capacity and the load should be properly positioned on the middle of the forks to prevent them from falling off.
•    When the truck is not in use, the forks should be lowered completely and tilted back. Brakes should be activated and the machine should be turned off.

Prevention is always better than cure. Businesses that are into forklift hire should always ensure that their forklifts and their operators are in good condition and properly used. It is also the responsibility of the one renting to check on these matters.