Running a business requires you to stay on top of various responsibilities—one of which is your workforce’s safety. Employee safety is particularly pertinent for warehouses, which frequently have high storage racks and heavy machinery inside. Machines such as forklifts require immense care from employees, though business owners have to look for bad driving habits.
Monitoring forklift operator performance is key because even a simple slip-up can have dire consequences. This sounds all doom and gloom, but don’t worry. This list details three common habits all forklift operators must avoid. By keeping an eye out for these habits in the workplace, you can make swift and potentially lifesaving corrections.
Skipping Pre-Shift Inspections
Before operators hop into a forklift, they must start their shift by conducting a safety inspection. During this inspection, forklift operators look for leaks, worn or broken components, and any other maintenance issue that requires immediate attention. Unfortunately, forklift operators skipping this step isn’t as rare as you might think.
If you ever see an employee skipping their forklift safety inspection, correct the issue immediately. Forklifts that don’t go through a safety inspection before use pose potential health hazards to the operator and anyone else nearby.
Driving Recklessly
When it comes to common habits all forklift operators must avoid, reckless driving is arguably number one. “Driving recklessly” is a term that covers quite a few dangerous actions—exceeding work zone speed limits, ignoring blind sports, carrying unstable loads, and neglecting to use the seat belt. The resulting consequences of reckless forklift driving include collisions, tip-overs, and products falling off the forks and striking employees.
All forklift operators learn safe driving practices during their certification process. Still, not every employee maintains the same level of knowledge and skill that helped them earn certification in the first place. The moment you spot dangerous driving habits in the warehouse, tell the operator to stop and pull aside so you can both find a solution immediately.
Refusing To Renew Certification
Forklift monitoring data is essential for warehouses, especially when it comes to keeping track of employee certification expiration dates. If a forklift operator’s certification is expiring soon, talk with them about a renewal so they can remain a law-abiding member of the team. In some cases, forklift operators feel like they’re good enough for the job and skip certification renewal altogether. This isn’t good, so don’t let it happen.
To keep the workplace safe when forklifts are present, operators must complete an OSHA-compliant training course to earn certification. However, workplace safety is only one of the various reasons you must schedule forklift training for new and current employees alike. Simply put, never let an operator get behind the wheel of a forklift until they earn up-to-date certification.
