OSHA’s Free Safety Consultation Program

Safety is one of the primary pillars of a productive and profitable material handling operation. Unfortunately, most small to mid-size companies to not have the resources for a safety and compliance manager, much less a safety department. OSHA has tools available to these companies, like yours, to help you not only gain compliance, but how to look at your operation with a “safety eye” and help you identify potential hazards before they become health, safety or legal issues.

OSHA’s Compliance Assistance QuickStart will help you identify the guidelines that apply to your operation, teach you how to survey your operation for potential hazards and violations, and assist you in developing a safety program to ensure compliance and a healthy, safe operation based on your individual needs.

Once you have established needs, OSHA’s tools help you learn how to train your employees to perform their functions safely and be on the lookout for potential safety hazards that might pop up unannounced. Finally, they help you keep records and learn how to report hazards and incidents when they occur to ensure you are maintaining compliance.

Need assistance in getting started? OSHA has you covered. The OSHA Free Consultation program provides you with access to an OSHA consultant who will schedule an appointment with you for a walk-through of your facility. During this consultation, you will receive a pre-inspection conference, a walk-through and a post-inspection conference. Following, the OSHA consultant will provide you with a written report of findings and agreed upon time frame for agreed upon abatement periods. Findings of this consultation will only be reported to OSHA if you fail to correct any serious hazards or situations that present an imminent danger. To learn more about how we can assist you with forklift operator training and compliance, please visit our training page.

The goal is to treat every potential hazard as if someone you love, were doing the job. Getting each of your employees and visitors home safely at night is the key to having them return tomorrow, ready to work, and work productively!

Download the OSHA Consultations Fact Sheet for more information. Or to get started, visit the OSHA Consultation Directory to find consultants nearest you.

CLARK Material Handling Safety Day Celebration

The day is here and companies all around the country are taking time today to bring awareness to the dangers presented by forklifts. We’ve been promoting what you can do to celebrate Forklift Safety Day, and today, our flagship line, CLARK Material Handling is having a celebration at their Lexington, KY headquarters. Below is a summary of the festivities.

Lexington, KY (June 3, 2016) – CLARK Material Handling Company, underscoring its commitment to the safe use of forklifts and importance of operator training, is hosting a community-wide forklift safety awareness event at its Lexington campus on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in support of the third annual National Forklift Safety Day. The program will run from 11:30AM to 1:30PM and is open to the public. CLARK is located at 700 Enterprise Drive in Lexington, KY at the intersection of New Circle Road and Old Frankfort Pike.

A full schedule of events planned to endorse and promote National Forklift Safety Day include:

• An open house including plant tours at 11:30AM and 12:30PM
• Special Flag Raising Ceremony at 12:00 noon, in honor of Flag Day
• “Lift Truck Rodeo” competition and safety demonstrations
• A display of aftermarket safety products
• The premiere of the new CLARK video, “Forklift Safety: Pre-Shift Inspection”
• Local media coverage including a live radio remote by 98.1 FM ‘The Bull’, WBUL
• Free lunch – prepared by Smokin’ Jax Grill
• Door prizes

In addition to the activities in Lexington, CLARK executives will participate in the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) National Forklift Safety Day events taking place June 14 in Washington, D.C.

“It is vitally important to emphasize the safe use of forklifts and proper operator training,” stated Dennis Lawrence, President and CEO of CLARK. “Forklift safety is not just a one day per year focus. At CLARK, forklift safety is our top priority every day. We are proud to join with the ITA and our fellow forklift manufacturers to raise awareness about the safe use of forklifts and the continual need for operator training.”

In further support of forklift safety, CLARK is offering customer discounts on select safety products purchased during June, 2016. Additionally, CLARK is conducting a lift truck operator instructor training certification course for a number of area companies.

National Forklift Safety Day, sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association, serves as a focal point for manufacturers to highlight the safe use of forklifts and the importance of operator training. This day provides an opportunity for the industry to educate customers, policymakers and the administration on forklift operating safety practices.

All Lift Service Company is your source for quality new forklifts, forklift service, parts, rentals and Forklift operator training. Contact us 877-303-LIFT to inquire about any of our products or services.

Celebrating Forklift Safety Day 2017

The Industrial Truck Association has announced it’s second annual Forklift Safety Day, to be held Tuesday, June 13 2017.

While most of you won’t be able to attend, there are things you can do to take advantage of this day to help create awareness about the dangers that forklifts present and how to minimize the potential for accidents that can result in injury or death, damage to your facility, equipment and financial losses.

We’ve compiled a short list of things you can do on June 9th to improve safety on and around your forklifts.

1. Make sure all your forklift operators have been trained and that their refresher training is up to date, if applicable or necessary.
2. Download our All Lift Forklift Operator Questionnaire to help you vet new operators about their actual experience and history with forklifts.
3. Take time to teach your forklift operators the importance of daily inspections of their forklifts. Daily inspections reduce the risk of equipment failure and catch small problems before they blossom into giant ones. Download inspection forms for InspectionFormElectric and InspectionFormIC.
4. Download and post our free forklift safety posters that you can find on our Training Page.
5. Take some time to gather any staff that operates around forklifts, but not on them, to refresh them about the dangers of this equipment and how to be sure to use safe procedures when they are in an area of your facility where forklifts are being operated.
6. Make sure all your forklift’s maintenance is up to date. If you have a Planned Maintenance Agreement, this would be a good time to review it with your service provider to ensure all standard checkpoints as well as unique equipment attachments are being inspected and maintained properly.
7. Review any unique “site specific” features your facility may have and be sure your operators are aware of proper handling of equipment while on or around these features (ramps, areas where floors can be slick, floor substrates that vary etc…)
8. Make sure that training is part of your company’s orientation for anyone that will or MIGHT operate a forklift. Remember, employees that have not been properly trained aren’t even allowed to sit on and start a forklift, much less move it out of the way of anything.
9. Make sure you forklifts have proper safety equipment and that it’s operating properly. Lights, horns, back-up alarms, seat belts, fire extinguishers etc… Check out our Blue Safety Light for pedestrian safety enhancement.
10. Make sure you have lock-out kits to ensure that forklifts that do not pass an inspection are locked out immediately until repairs are made.
11. Review all your forklifts for possible replacement. Old forklifts, or those that are getting “up there” in hours, might be potential threats. Review safety records and maintenance logs for your equipment. You might find this could be a good time to replace some or even all of your forklifts.-

Our goal is to help you operate safe, efficient and productive forklift equipment. To discuss forklift safety, operator training –or to get a quote on new equipment, please Contact Us or give us a call at 877-303-LIFT.

Five Things that Will Lower Your Overall Material Handling Costs

Reducing your costs means increasing your profits—and increasing your profits has never been more challenging than in recent years.  Our experience with hundreds of various types of operations, utilizing hundreds of pieces of equipment in more than a thousand ways, has exposed us to thousands of variations in facilities, equipment, and applications. In working with these diverse clients, we have recognized commonalities that, when implemented, resulted in lower total operating costs for materials handling most of the time. Following are five that we highly recommend:

Choose Application-Specific Equipment – In other words, “buy the right equipment for the job at hand.” We often see equipment being used in applications for which they were not designed. That results in accelerated wear, increased damage and ultimately, increased costs. Working with professionals who can survey your applications and recommend the right equipment for each job is one of the most important things you can do to decrease overall costs.  Using the proper equipment with the right specifications means efficient, productive results.

Planned Maintenance – Your fleet equipment works hard. And hard-working equipment needs proper maintenance.  Working with a professional and reputable fleet service provider that services your equipment at appropriate intervals is the key to catching small maintenance issues, before they become larger and much more expensive. In addition, well-maintained equipment operates more efficiently, experiences more up-time and results in improved operator morale.

Invest in a Robust Training Program – Operator safety training is required by OSHA, and a daily inspection of equipment is one of OSHA’s requirements. Most companies train their operators regarding safe operation—but more often than not, the training stops there. Clients that invest in training employees to perform daily inspections, and to know what to look for, see results. If you install a process for equipment that will eventually need repair, you can ensure that unsafe equipment stays off the operating floor, and small repairs can be handled before they blossom into colossal nightmares.

Work With Single-Source Dealerships When Possible – The more work you can assign to a qualified and reliable supplier, the fewer calls you have to make. In turn, the supplier becomes more familiar with your equipment, facility and applications. Using one company that can provide a turnkey operation, from engineering to installation and maintenance, allows you to make just one call when it is needed. This leads to greater efficiencies for you. It also allows your supplier to better understand your operation and thus make logical suggestions that can reduce your costs, increase your efficiency and productivity, and ultimately improve your bottom line.

Fleet Management – Whether you do it yourself or assign responsibility to your materials handling partner, fleet management is a key part of knowing the useful economic lifespan of your equipment. And economic lifespan may vary by application within your operation. If you keep a finger on the pulse of your maintenance expenses and know when it’s time to trade in or re-lease, that process will more than pay for itself in the long run.

There are hundreds of other things you can do to minimize the total operating costs of your facility. We have addressed some of them in previous feature articles. We hope that you have found these Top Five useful.  If we can assist you further, or provide you with more information, please contact us at 877-303-LIFT.

OSHA to Increase Fines for First Time in Decades

On November 3rd it was announced that OSHA would increase penalties for the first time since 1990. The new provision is entitled the “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.”

This law compensates for the “freeze” on financial penalty increases that had been in place for the last 25 years. The Agreement allows OSHA to make a one-time “catch-up” increase to compensate for the more than two decades of no increases. The catch-up increase can’t exceed the inflation rate from 1990 through 2015 as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which will be about 82%.

Assuming OSHA applies the maximum catch-up increase allowed, the current maximum $70,000 fine for a Repeat and Willful violation would grow to as much as $125,000 each. The new act does include a potential exception to the increases. OSHA is allowed to forego following the  guidelines if “increasing the civil monetary penalty by the otherwise required amount will have a negative economic impact [on America]” or “the social costs of increasing the civil monetary penalty by the otherwise required amount outweigh the benefits.” This language gives OSHA considerable latitude to apply these fines as they see fit. After this one-time catch-up increase, OSHA will use inflation rate as a guide for future increases.

Employers may have several months to anticipate these higher penalties, but action on safety should begin immediately. Ensuring your forklift fleet is being properly maintained by service professionals and that all your forklift operators have current training on the equipment they operate, in the facility they operate them in, will keep you protected from these fines.

As we have discussed in previous articles forklift operator training and forklift maintenance have benefits that go beyond avoiding expensive penalties.  Workplace safety protects workers, improves morale and can actually help the bottom line profits for all workplaces. Rather than just treating safety as an expense, management should work to develop a business plan to achieve safety goals, avoid fines, and reduce insurance expense and lost time.

Visit our Forklift Operator Training page and learn more about our Planned Maintenance Program to ensure your fleet, and operators are safe and productive. Then contact us at 877-303-LIFT for a quote to proving ongoing training and maintenance to ensure they both stay within safe operating parameters.

OSHA Announces it’s Top 10 Citations for FY 2015

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2015. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the Top 10 on the Expo floor as part of the 2015 NSC Congress & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of safety professionals.

“In injury prevention, we go where the data tell us to go,” said National Safety Council President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman. “The OSHA Top 10 list is a roadmap that identifies the hazards you want to avoid on the journey to safety excellence.”

The Top 10 for FY 2015* are:

1. Fall Protection (1926.501) – 6,721
2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 5,192
3. Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,295
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,305
5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,002
6. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,760
7. Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,489
8. Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 2,404
9. Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,295
10. Electrical – General Requirements (1910.303) – 1,973

As you can see, forklifts and lift equipment is high on OSHA’s lists of citations. One way to avoid citations pertaining to your forklift fleet is to ensure you’re following OSHA’s regulations regarding powered industrial trucks (lift trucks), that your fleet is being properly and regularly maintained and that your forklift operators have received adequate training, and that the training is up-to-date.

If you’re unsure of your fleet’s condition or your operator’s training status, contact us at 877-303-LIFT and we will help you ensure you do not end up on OSHA’s list of citations!

Forklift Training Operator Training Outline Guide from OSHA

OSHA has an excellent eTool for powered industrial trucks. One of the most useful components is their outline for a successful forklift operator training program. Below are the major components.

1. Introduction
2. Types, Features and Physics
3. Inspecting the Vehicle
4. Driving the Truck
5. Load Handling
6. LPG Lift Trucks
7. Battery and Charging
8. Safety Concerns
9. Specific Truck and Workplace Training (Hands-On)
10. Certification of Completion of the Course

See the details of each section HERE. Visit our Operator Safety Training Page then contact us with any questions at 877-303-LIFT.

Celebrating Forklift Safety Day

The Industrial Truck Association has announced its second annual Forklift Safety Day, to be held June Tuesday, June 9. You can register to attend the event, held in Washington, DC. While most of you won’t be able to attend, there are things you can do to take advantage of this day to help create awareness about the dangers forklifts present and how to minimize the potential for accidents that can result in injury or death, damage to your facility, equipment and financial losses. We’ve compiled a short list of things you can do on June 9th to improve safety on and around your forklifts.

1. Make sure all forklift operators have been trained and that their refresher training is up to date, if applicable or necessary.
2. Take time to teach forklift operators the importance of daily inspections of their forklifts. Daily inspections reduce the risk of equipment failure and catch small problems before they blossom into giant ones. You can find daily forklift inspection sheets on our Training Page for both IC and electric units.
3. Download and post our free forklift safety posters that you can find on our Training Page.
4. Take some time to gather any staff that operates around forklifts, but not on them, to refresh them about the dangers of this equipment and how to be sure to use safe procedures when they are in an area of your facility where forklifts are being operated.
5. Make sure all forklift maintenance is up to date. If you have a Planned Maintenance Agreement, this would be a good time to review it with your service provider to ensure all standard checkpoints as well as unique equipment attachments are being inspected and maintained properly.
6. Review any unique “site specific” features your facility may have and be sure your operators are aware of proper handling of equipment while on or around these features (ramps, areas where floors can be slick, floor substrates that vary etc…)
7. Make sure that training is part of your company’s orientation for anyone that will or MIGHT operate a forklift. Remember, employees that have not been properly trained aren’t even allowed to sit on and start a forklift, much less move it out of the way of anything.
8. Make sure all forklifts have proper safety equipment and that everything is operating properly. Lights, horns, back-up alarms, seat belts, fire extinguishers etc… Check out our Blue Safety Light for pedestrian safety enhancement.
9. Make sure you have lock-out kits to ensure that forklifts that do not pass an inspection are locked out immediately until repairs are made.
10. Review all forklifts for possible replacement. Old forklifts, or those that are getting “up there” in hours, might be potential safety threats. Review safety records and maintenance logs for all equipment. You might find this to be a good time to replace some or even all of your forklifts.

Our goal is to help you operate safe, efficient and productive forklift equipment. To discuss forklift safety, operator training or to get a quote on new equipment, please Contact Us or give us a call at 877-303-5438.

The Costs of Failing to Protect Workers on the Job

A new report generated by OSHA highlights the real costs associated with on the job injuries, who pays them and how this impacts the employee and taxpayers.

Whether an employee is working on a high-rise building or driving a forklift, employers have the responsibility, and what we feel is an obligation to protect their employees from injury. By investing in training and safety, employers get fewer injuries, lower costs, more productivity and an improved satisfaction which often leads to less turn over. But all companies do not feel that way. Many are finding ways to avoid responsibility for providing safe working conditions for their most dangerous jobs.

The report highlights what some companies do to avoid responsibility and what this does to not only the employee, but his/her family and taxpayers when an accident with injury occurs. Shifting the financial burden however does not make it go away. It shifts it to over-burdened worker’s compensation and government systems. In addition, a worker who is injured can expect to make an average of 15% less income after the injury. And while the creating of OSHA in 1970 by President Nixon has greatly reduced on the job accidents, injuries and deaths dramatically, we still have approximately 4,500 deaths every year due to workplace accidents.

As a full-service forklift dealership, safety is one of our most important topics. Forklifts are dangerous pieces of equipment for the operator and anyone working around the forklift. Forklift Operator Training and Pedestrian Training is not only the law, it is our obligation to those that operate forklifts. While manufacturers work hard to innovate and make them safer, nothing can replace a well trained and cautious operator.

We have posted the Executive Summary of the report on our website and feel it is certainly worth a read. The full report can be found HERE.

Three Essentials to Effective and Thorough Training

Training is one of the most important functions of any manager. From top to the bottom levels of an organization, employees that are well-trained to do their jobs perform better, are more efficient and make greater contributions to the bottom line of the organization. When we discuss forklift operator training with our clients there are three essentials they must commit to in order to take full advantage of the training we provide. This of course transcends forklift operator training and could apply to training in almost any other function within your organization.

Planning – Setting out on any quest, whether it’s comprehensive training or how your department will function, doing so without a plan, even a simple one, will leave you wandering in the wilderness, drifting from one program to another, not sure if what you’re doing adds or detracts from your quest.

Put together a plan including what you want to accomplish, the steps it will take to get there and what you will do to maintain the levels of training you provide as well as what you will do to take it to each “next level” once you have attained your planned levels of training.

Time – Nothing happens overnight,: there is no magic elixir for time and practice committed to your plan. You can expand or contract the time it takes based on the level and amount of training provided to do the job. Time can be your commitment personally or the time commitment of external or outsourced training. Either way, it takes time with the trainer, then time practicing the skills by the employee to hone them to an efficient and effective state. We have addressed how people learn in our Feature Article “Training vs. Teaching; Knowing the Differences.”

Resources – Time is one of the most valuable resources in any organization and we have addressed the need for that above. But you must also provide the resources for effective training. This can include time with a skilled trainer, a location to provide and practice the skills, equipment on which to learn and practice as well as materials needed to support the training efforts.

Providing comprehensive, ongoing training is an investment in your employees, your organization and your bottom line performance. The results are usually commensurate with the levels of each of the three essentials we’ve listed and it is rare that results oppose the efforts. Invest in your bottom line with complete and professional training and watch the results, over time, compound for your company.

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