S
aFE OPEratiOn anD MaintEnancE
OSHA Regulations – Industrial Trucks and Attachments
(Specific Regulations from OSHA 1910.178)
WARNING: The safe operation and maintenance of
industrial trucks is regulated by Occupational Safety
and Health (OSHA) regulations 1910.178 and Ameri-
can National Standards Institute (ANSI) Safety Standard for
Powered Industrial Trucks, ANSI B56.1. When operating and
maintaining industrial trucks equipped with attachments you
should pay particular attention to the following sections of these
regulations. You should be familiar with all sections of these
regulations. Ask your employer for the complete regulations.
General Requirement
(a)
(4) Modifications and additions which affect capacity and safe
operation shall not be performed by the customer or user
without manufacturers prior written approval. Capacity,
operation and maintenance instruction plates, tags or decals
shall be changed accordingly.
(5) If the truck is equipped with front-end attachments other than
factory installed attachments, the user shall request that the
truck be marked to identify the attachments and show the
appropriate weight of the truck and attachment combination
at maximum elevation with load laterally centered.
(6) The user shall see that all nameplates and markings are in
place and maintained in a legible condition.
Safety Guards
(e)
(2) If the type of load presents a hazard, the user shall equip fork
trucks with a vertical load backrest extension in accordance
with (a)(2) following.
(a)(2) All new powered industrial trucks acquired and used
by an employer after February 15, 1972 shall meet the design
and construction requirements for powered industrial trucks
established in the "American National Standard for Powered
Industrial Trucks, Part II, ANSI B56.1", except for vehicles
intended primarily for earth moving or over-the-road hauling.
Operator Training
(l)
Only trained and authorized operators shall be permitted to oper-
ate a powered industrial truck. Methods shall be devised to train
operators in the safe operation of powered industrial trucks.
Truck Operations
(m)
(1) Trucks shall not be driven up to anyone standing in front of a
bench or other fixed object.
(2) No person shall be allowed to stand or pass under the el-
evated portion of any truck, whether loaded or empty.
(3) Unauthorized personnel shall not be permitted to ride on
powered industrial trucks. A safe place to ride shall be pro-
vided where riding of trucks is authorized.
(4) The employer shall prohibit arms or legs from being placed
between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines
of the truck.
(5i) When a powered industrial truck is left unattended, load
engaging means shall be fully lowered, controls shall be
neutralized, power shall be shut off and brakes set. Wheels
shall be blocked if the truck is parked on an incline.
(5ii) A powered industrial truck is unattended when the operator
is 25 feet or more away from the vehicle which remains in his
view, or whenever the operator leaves the vehicle and it is not
in his view.
(5iii) When the operator of an industrial truck is dismounted and
within 25 feet of the truck still in his view, the load engaging
means shall be fully lowered, controls neutralized and the
brakes set to prevent movement.
(6) A safe distance shall be maintained from the edge of ramps
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or platforms while on any elevated dock or platform or freight
car. Trucks shall not be used for opening or closing freight
doors.
(10) A load backrest extension shall be used whenever neces-
sary to minimize the possibility of the load or part of it from
falling rearward.
Traveling
(n)
(4) The driver shall be required to slow down and sound the
horn at cross isles and other locations where vision is
obstructed. If the load being carried obstructs forward view,
the driver shall be required to travel with the load trailing.
(7i) When ascending or descending grades in excess of 10 per-
cent, loaded trucks shall be driven with the load upgrade.
(7iii) On all grades the load and load engaging means shall be
tilted back if applicable, and raised only as far as necessary
to clear the road surface.
Loading
(o)
(1) Only stable or safely arranged loads shall be handled. Cau-
tion shall be exercised when handling off-center loads which
cannot be centered.
(2) Only loads within the rated capacity of the truck shall be
handled.
(3) The long or high (including multiple-tiered) loads which
may affect capacity shall be adjusted.
(4) Trucks equipped with attachments shall be operated as
partially loaded trucks when not handling a load.
(5) A load engaging means shall be placed under the load as
far as possible; the mast shall be carefully tilted backward to
stabilize the load.
(6) Extreme care shall be used when tilting the load forward or
backward, particularly when high tiering. Tilting forward with
load engaging means elevated shall be prohibited except to
pick up a load. An elevated load shall not be tilted forward
except when the load is in a deposit position over a rack or
stack. When stacking or tiering, only enough backward tilt to
stabilize the load shall be used.
Operation of the Truck
(p)
(1) If at any time a powered industrial truck is found to be in
need of repair, defective, or in any way unsafe, the truck
shall be taken out of service until it has been restored to safe
operating condition.
Maintenance of Industrial Trucks
(q)
(1) Any power-operated industrial truck not in safe operating
condition shall be removed from service. All repairs shall be
made by authorized personnel.
(5) All parts of any such industrial truck requiring replacement
shall be replaced only by parts equivalent as to safety with
those used in the original design.
(6) Industrial trucks shall not be altered so that the relative posi-
tions of the various parts are different from what they were
when originally received from the manufacturer, nor shall they
be altered either by the addition of extra parts not provided
by the manufacturer or by the elimination of any parts. Ad-
ditional counter-weighting of fork trucks shall not be done
unless approved by the truck manufacturer.
(7) Industrial trucks shall be examined before being placed in
service and shall not be placed in service if the examination
shows any condition adversely affecting the safety of the ve-
hicle. Such examinations shall be made at least daily. When
industrial trucks are used on a round-the-clock basis, they
shall be examined after each shift. Defects when found shall
be immediately reported and corrected.
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