A Guidebook Of Industrial Traffic Management & Forklift Safety
A Guidebook ofIndustrial TrafficManagement & ForkliftSafetyAccident Research CentreMonash UniversityVictoria 3800Australia(Authors: TJ Larsson, T Horberry, T BrennanJ Lambert & I Johnston)An initiative funded by WorkSafe,Victoria.April 2003
Table of ContentsSECTION 1. OVERVIEW: THE SYSTEM OF WORK. 3SECTION 2. LOGISTICS, DESIGN AND SAFETY . 4THE HIERARCHY OF HAZARD CONTROL . 5PUBLICATIONS AND TOOLS FOR SAFER FORKLIFTS . 6SECTION 3. PEOPLE AND TASKS . 9PEOPLE AT WORK: THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE. 9PHYSICAL FACTORS . 9MENTAL (COGNITIVE) FACTORS . 10ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS . 10ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS . 11SECTION 4. THE SITE AND BUILDING. 12PERIMETER AND LANDSCAPING . 13SECTION 5. MANAGEMENT OF THE TRAFFIC SYSTEM. 15MANAGE THE FLOW . 15REDUCE EXPOSURE . 15GENERAL SITUATION . 16SECTION 6. FORKLIFT FEATURES . 23FORKLIFT SIZES AND CAPABILITIES. 23FORKLIFT INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS . 23REDUCING SIDE TIPOVER RISK . 26MINIMISING FORKLIFT TRAFFIC . 28ACCOUNTABILITY. 30METHODS TO ENSURE SEAT BELT USAGE . 32HAZARDS OF LPG CONTAINER CHANGING . 34DEALING WITH EXTREME LIFT HEIGHTS . 35PRODUCT DISLODGEMENT . 36OTHER EQUIPMENT . 38HANDLING TRACTION BATTERIES . 40SECTION 7. CONCLUSIONS. 45APPENDIX: LOGISTICS EQUIPMENT IN AUSTRALIA . 47FORKLIFT LIFTING ATTACHMENTS: . 55TYNE OPTIONS . 68ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . 722
Section 1. Overview: The System of WorkIn an ideal system of work, humans, machines and materials come togetherin coordinated and efficient processes in a safe and productive environment.What actually t;processes and facilities;material handling andlogistics systems; andspace,safetyandhygiene in the workingenvironment.Illustration of a characteristic forklift environmentThis guidebook examines a number of key issues with respect to industrialtraffic management and forklift safety: Logistics, design & safety People and tasks The site and building Management of the traffic system Forklift featuresThe basic challenges areto productivity, which willbe increased if gooddecisions are made butdecreased if poor optionsare chosen, and to safetyand health, which will beimpeded if known risksare ignored.Illustration of a possible truck loading/unloading area3
Section 2. Logistics, Design and SafetyIn a rational and safe system of work, perhaps the most important logisticsfocus is on the movement of people.To plan and design production and logistics without fully considering thefunctions,movementsand activities of theoperators will createproblems.Poorlycontrolledhazards in the ivity.Incomplete logistics willcreatehazardsandincrease costs.Principles of good design are most economically applied at the start of aproject and are more costly to introduce retrospectively.Design and logistics can determine the economic viability of an entireoperation, and must also be at the forefront in renovation, restructuring andrebuilding projects.4
The Hierarchy of Hazard ControlPoorly controlled hazards impede growth and reduce productivity. How cana potentially unsafe situation be stopped? A commonly held view inergonomics and safety management is that there are three general ways:1) Remove the hazard - by designing it out. As will be seen throughoutthis guidebook this might involve designing the permitted routes of forkliftsso that they never come into contact with pedestrians.2) Guard the hazard - to stop the problem occurring. This may be byplacing a physical barrier between forklifts and pedestrians, or fittingpressure sensors on the forklift to prevent vehicle overloading.3) Warn of the danger - to try to induce safe behaviour. This might rangefrom painting pedestrian walkway zones on the flooring of forkliftenvironments to general safety notices.It is a ‘hierarchy of effectiveness’. Removing the hazard is usually moreeffective than guarding it, which in turn is more effective than warnings.There is, not surprisingly, a correlation between effectiveness and cost ofimplementation.The Hierarchy of Hazard ControlEFFECTIVENESSRemoving the hazard By designing it outGuarding the hazard - To stop theproblem occurringWarning of the danger To try to induce safe behaviourPotential short term COSTSin an existing operationAgain, this emphasises the importance of good initial workplace designFor companies that have an existing forklift safety problem then the issuesare more complex, and a longer-term safety strategy might be necessary torecover the costs likely to be needed for extensive (and expensive) redesigns.5
Publications and tools for safer forkliftsNOHSC practical solutions databaseThe National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC)publishes an OHS information database containing well thought out ideassubmitted from industry and the general public. The aim is to build acomprehensive list of OHS solutions for hazards that have been identified inthe workplace. At last count there were over 700 listings with around 30 ofthese providing solutions for forklift related issues.NOHSC, however, makes the following disclaimer “This solution was notdeveloped by NOHSC but was volunteered by an independent business ororganisation as being a solution which was effective in their work situation.However, the advice provided may not necessarily constitute Australian orinternational best practice. If you plan to apply this information in yourworkplace, please ensure that any relevant considerations arising from yourparticular situation are taken into account, that a proper risk assessment isundertaken and that the implementation of the solution is safe, does notrepresent a hazard and conforms to legal or other requirements applying toyour workplace. Neither the NOHSC nor the contributors makes anywarranty with respect to the solution.”Making your forklift work for you.6
Both NSW and Victorian WorkCover have developed a forklift safety checksheet available free of charge from either authority or via their websites:www.workcover.vic.gov.au and www.workcover.nsw.gov.auBoth take a slightly different approach and in reality benefit could be gainedby reference to both documents.The NSW checklist covers the four major areas of forklift operations:The forklift (pre-operation and operation) (Section 1)Work environment (Section 2)Work processes (Section 3)The operator (Section 4).The NSW version is designed for use primarily by managers and supervisorswhilst the primary target for Victoria is the employer, with advice that “youshould complete this checklist in consultation with your workers’ health andsafety representatives, your forklift operators and any other relevantemployees.” Both checklists are valuable for use by any employee oremployer.However, it should be noted that neither checklist will necessarily leadmanagers and operators to fully evaluate all the safety aspects of theiroperations. In particular, neither checklist specifically leads to checking ifthe weight and centre of mass combined are within the capacity of theforklift in all operations.WorkSafe Victoria “ Preventing Forklifts from Injuring People duringLoading and Unloading of Trucks”Another important recent publication for forklift safety is “PreventingForklifts from Injuring People during Loading and Unloading of Trucks: AGuide to Effective Practices”, produced by WorkSafe Victoria.“The booklet helps to identify some of the potential risks andprovides solutions and tips to help reduce injuries andfatalities resulting from unsafe forklift operations during theloading and unloading of heavy goods vehicles” (Page 1)The booklet contains key elements of effective forklift traffic managementsystems (including a comparative chart of tasks and issues, and a section on‘Dos and Don’ts’).It also gives an illustrated example of an implemented effective forklifttraffic management system for loading and unloading vehicles. Thisincludes the key requirement to separate pedestrians and operating forkliftsand to keep drivers in a safety zone.This booklet can be obtained from .7(email
Pro maintenance reference chartRepair and maintenance of forklifts doesnot simply extend to a grease and oilchange plus a check of the brakes. Insome cases fatalities involving forkliftshave been directly related to neglect ofrepair and maintenance procedures andintervals. Not only do the mechanicalfactors need to be addressed duringmaintenance but compliance and riskmanagement issues. Forklift techniciansdo not receive vocational training in thisregard - for example legibility andaccuracy of Load Capacity Plate,condition of warning decals, operationand location of emergency isolation toname a but few - and must pick up theinformation “on the job”.Forkpro Australia (www.forkpro.com.au) hasdeveloped a reference chart designed for forklift maintenance personnel.The chart complements the normal mechanical regime by giving thetechnicians the information required to maintain safety and compliance.The chart identifies the critical safety items, explains the relevant documentfor compliance and highlights the key components for maintenance. Forkliftmaintenance companies cannot afford to be without this information.8
Section 3. People and TasksPeople at Work: The Ghost in the Machine.Organisationsaremanaged by people, rely onpeople for most workprocesses, and exist for thebenefitsofpeople.However,quiteoftenpeople are only consideredas ‘cogs’ within the totalwork system, rather thanas individuals that havetheir own cs- fitting the task to the personErgonomics studies human abilities and limitations, and then applies thatknowledge to improve people's interaction with products, systems andenvironments.The are four key factors:a)b)c)d)Physical,Mental (cognitive),Environmental andOrganisational / social issues.Physical FactorsThese are concerned with human body shapes, sizes and strengths, and howthey relate to physical activities such as manual handling, workplace layout,working postures and work related disorders.The use of forklifts has increased in many industrial, manufacturing andtransport operations in recent years. Undoubtedly forklifts offer manybenefits, such as improving productivity or reducing manual handling. Evenso, forklift operators often need to employ their physical strengths andcapabilities when performing different tasks, such as occasional manualloading and in the driving task.9
Forkliftoperatorsandassociated workers can fallvictim to injuries, especiallythose involving their lowerbacks or other soft tissuedamage. Causes of this include: Lifting too heavy a loadLifting too frequentlyLifting in a constrained,or uneven postureMental (Cognitive) FactorsThese are concerned with individual mental processes such as perception,decision-making, actions and memory. Issues here include human error,work stress, mental workload and training with respect to forklifts.Workload/stress: Prevent the work demands from becoming excessivelyhigh. Prevent the operator from becoming excessively overloaded. Peoplegenerally work best at intermediate levels of workload/stress.Perception: Make the necessary objects in the environment clearly visibleor audible (including alarms).Memory (both long and short term): Often psychologists talk aboutshort-term memory being able to hold only a limited amount of information.Make sure that the forklift operator is not required to hold too muchinformation in short-term memory. Requiring too much information to beheld in short term memory can make mistakes more likely.Training: Make sure that appropriate training been provided. And ensurethat the effectiveness of the training is evaluated. Make sure that theforklift training covers vehicle control (Skill, rule and knowledge based),loading and emergency procedures.Environmental FactorsAll of our daily activities are performed in a physical environment. Throughknowledge of basic principles with respect to key variables such as sound,fumes, temperature and lighting we can see how such physicalenvironmental variables are relevant to the design and implementation offorklift systems, tasks and equipment.10
Organisational FactorsGenerally we do not work in isolation from other people, so organisationalergonomics include organisational structures, communication, workinghours, organisational culture and teamwork.Modern theories of job design emphasise features such as task identity, skillvariety, feedback and autonomy as likely to improve job satisfaction. Whilstit might not be easy to add all these features to a forklift operator’s job, it isstill important to make thejob as meaningful aspossible by (for example)giving them praise when ajob is performed well(feedback), allowing thedrivers to be involved inother features of the jobthan just the driving (soincreasing variety) andallowing the drivers someflexibility about how theyconductthework(autonomy).Other important occupational factors are fatigue and boredom/inattention.Some of the main causes of work fatigue are long working time, monotonywithin a task, sleep loss and time of day at which work takes placeIf shiftwork/nightwork is needed: Avoid continuous night work - have at least 24 hours break after aseries of nights Plan some free weekends into the shift schedules Ensure adequate break (s) per shift for nourishment11
Section 4. The Site and BuildingA safe site will separateheavy transport accessfromlightervehicleaccess, and separatepedestrian from vehicleaccess. Visibility, spaceand safety make suchseparation a necessaryand productive option.In linking site access tothe public road system,the need for turningspace, queuing at thegate,visibilityofapproach, and safe temporary parkingfor visitors and trades people shouldbe considered.To continue the road signage andtraffic engineering solutions throughthe gate on to the site makes trafficcontrol simpler. To continue toseparate pedestrians from trucks,forklifts and other transports on sitewill define the traffic systemprinciples for all staff and visitors.Even at quite small work sites,access for staff and visitorsshould be via separate parking,entrance and reception facilities.12
Pedestrianaccessshould be organisedin such a way thatthere will be noperceivedorrealbenefits in takingshortcutsthroughvehicle access ways.The layout of thepublicroadandtransport system intheimmediatevicinity of the site isof direct relevance tothe safety of staff andvisitors.Perimeter and landscapingA secure perimeter represents control over all access and egress of people,vehicles and products.Landscaping for the management of the site and in-house transport systemwill make it possible to create separation of levels, space for turning andwaiting, and to avoid blind corners and conflicts between different types ofmovement.A growing and changing business tends to outgrow the size and space of itsfacilities. A facility operating at different levels will have greater flexibilityfor expansion and changing demands.The layout of the building should be based on a complete analysis of the flowof the work process and all the necessary movements of people, loads,material and equipment of different types, shapes and weights.13
By locating functions according to principles of minimal movement of loadsand safe access of people, the choice of cargo handling and transportingequipment should follow.14
Section 5. Management of the Traffic SystemManage the flowThe analysis of operations will define how the best ergonomic interface ofeach work station should be configured; what equipment should becombined to assist the flow of tasks and provide the best lifting, shifting ormoving solution.Typically, the shifting of loads or transport of material has to be done - bymeans of conveyors, hoists, vehicles or people - to bridge gaps betweenprocesses. It pays to makedetailed analyses of how theseprocess gaps are handled,since they often representcosts in terms of damagedgoods and injury associatedwith manual handling. Suchprocess gaps are also found insupportingactivitieslikerepair, cleaning, maintenanceand change-over of equipmentand tools.For heavy material handling, the use of counter-balanced forkliftsrepresents the common and most cost-efficient option. However, the designof the traffic environment must provide an acceptable level of safety for theunprotected pedestrian workers in the system. Where forklifts are used theymust be regarded as vehicles and the forklift access-ways defined asroads.Reduce exposureAs a rule, the less a process occurs, the lower the level of hazardousexposure and the less chance of incidents occurring.Systems of work where forklifts areperforming all or most loadhandling tasks typically exposepedestrian workers to the highestlevels of risk. If tasks can beperformed with the help of otherless hazardous equipment, or atdifferent stages in the process,improvements in safety could alsoimprove productivity.15
If forklift-dependent systems still require tasks to be performed bypedestrian operators in close proximity to forklifts, the versatility of theforklift is frequently put before ergonomics and safety. Such forkliftpedestrian systems of work represent unacceptable levels of risk.To reduce risk exposure, it might be necessary to reduce forklift movementsor substitute forklift tasks with the use of other load handling equipment.However, care must be ta
they relate to physical activities such as manual handling, workplace layout, working postures and work related disorders. The use of forklifts has increased in many industrial, manufacturing and transport operations in recent years. Undoubtedly forklifts offer many benefits, such as improving productivity or reducing manual handling. Even
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