Forklift JSA

A loaded forklift is a counterweighted machine whose stability depends on where the load sits and how fast it turns. Most serious forklift injuries come from three things: the machine tipping, a pedestrian in the wrong place, and someone being lifted on the forks.

The construction standard reaches the general industry rule here: 1926.602(c) applies 29 CFR 1910.178 to powered industrial trucks on construction sites, so the operator training and certification requirements everyone associates with warehouses apply on site too.

What the work involves

• Pre-use inspection and taking the truck out of service when faulty
• Picking up, travelling with and placing loads
• Working around pedestrians and other plant
• Refuelling or changing and charging batteries
• Parking and securing the truck at the end of the shift

Hazards and controls

Controls are listed in hierarchy order — the further down the list a control sits, the less it should be carrying on its own.

1. Tip-over — lateral or forward

• Engineering: load within the capacity on the data plate for that attachment and load centre; the plate legible and present.
• Administrative: travel with forks low and the load against the backrest; no turning on a grade or with the load raised; travel in reverse where the load blocks the view.
• Administrative: operator stays in the cab and wears the restraint if fitted — in a tip-over, leaving the seat is what kills people.

29 CFR 1910.178(o) sets the load handling requirements, including handling only stable loads within the rated capacity and keeping the load tilted back and low while travelling. 29 CFR 1910.178(a)(4) prohibits modifications affecting capacity or safe operation without the manufacturer's written approval, and requires capacity and operation plates to be changed accordingly.

2. Pedestrian struck or crushed

• Eliminate: separate the routes — physical barriers between traffic and pedestrian ways, and no forklift operation in areas people are working.
• Engineering: mirrors at blind corners, lights and audible warning; speed limited by the layout, not by goodwill.
• Administrative: sound the horn at intersections and doorways; slow or stop where the view is blocked; no passing a pedestrian closer than the agreed distance.
• PPE: high-visibility clothing on foot.

29 CFR 1910.178(n) sets the travelling requirements, including slowing and sounding the horn at cross aisles and where vision is obstructed, and yielding the right of way to pedestrians.

3. Someone lifted or carried on the forks

• Eliminate: never lift a person on the forks, a pallet or an improvised platform. Use a scissor lift, boom lift or scaffold.
• Engineering: where a truck must elevate a person, only a securely attached work platform meeting the requirements, with the controls attended throughout.
• Administrative: no riders at any time.

29 CFR 1910.178(m)(2) prohibits employees from riding on the forks of a powered industrial truck, and requires unauthorized personnel not to be permitted to ride. 29 CFR 1910.178(m)(12) requires that where a truck is used to elevate personnel, a safety platform firmly secured to the lifting carriage or forks be used with the specified protections.

4. Untrained or unauthorized operator

• Administrative: only operators trained, evaluated and certified for that truck type and workplace conditions may drive — the evaluation is part of the requirement, not just the course.
• Engineering: keys controlled; the truck secured when unattended.
• Administrative: refresher training after an incident, a near miss, an unsafe-operation observation, or a change of truck or conditions.

29 CFR 1910.178(l) requires operator training, practical evaluation and certification before an employee operates a powered industrial truck, with refresher training in the circumstances it lists. 29 CFR 1926.602(c) applies the requirements of 1910.178 to powered industrial trucks used in construction.

5. Fuel, battery or exhaust hazard during refuelling or charging

• Engineering: charging and refuelling in a designated, ventilated area away from ignition sources; eyewash and neutralizer where batteries are handled.
• Administrative: no smoking or open flame; truck off and brake set; lift battery with the right handling equipment.
• Administrative: carbon monoxide risk assessed before running an engine-powered truck indoors — ventilate or use electric.
• PPE: face shield, apron and gloves for battery work.

29 CFR 1910.178(g) sets the requirements for changing and charging storage batteries, including designated areas, facilities for flushing spilled electrolyte and fire protection, and prohibits smoking in the charging area. 29 CFR 1910.178(p) requires trucks in unsafe operating condition to be removed from service, and repairs to be made only by authorized personnel.

A worked example row

This is how one line of the finished JSA reads, with the risk bands scored on the same 4-band matrix the generator prints:

Related work activities

• Working Around Heavy Equipment JSA
• Work Near Moving Traffic JSA
• Crane & Hoisting JSA