Thanks Vic,

Class I,II, III - use plugging for normal braking, do not use park brake or neutral unless special circumstances warrant it.

Class IV, V - use inching/brake pedal for stacking or racking, do not use park brake or neutral unless special circumstances warrant it.

Class I,II, III- Park brakes are usually one small drum or disc and go out of adjustment quickly if used as a normal brake

Class IV, V- Park brakes are usually the trailing shoe of the service brakes and thus will wear out very quickly if operator forgets to release the park brake before moving

Class I,II, III- Should not be used on ramps of more than 5% grade because of the poor braking system unless the manufacturer recommends it is safe to exceed 5% grade

Hope this is a start

I think that the last couple of posts are diverting us away from the central point of discussion. To try to bring us back on track I will summarise
- Park brakes should be used when parking the truck.
- service brakes should be used in all other circumstances apart from ramp starts.
-training authorities should not promote incorrect operator practices
-training practice should reflect the way that we expect operators to drive.

Hopefully this is explicit.

Hi Guys,
It is obvious from the above discussion that safety techniques should not be generalized.
May I suggest that we try to be more specific so that we as safety experts can provide accurate and explicit safety information to the end users.

SDCB ->Sit Down CounterBalanced. There can be no compromise when it comes to safety - I thnk the forum is agreed on that. Too many people believe that applying the park brake puts the truck into the safest possible position when in fact, it does not. The action of pulling on a mechanical lever does not in itself ensure that the brakes are properly applied given the nature of typical parking brake mechanisms. Improper adjustment due to wear over time, stretched cables etc can cause the actual holding force to be diminished.

By being taught to consciously apply the service brakes, the operator is in total control. The service brakes are generally more powerful and the operator will know immediately if they are not functional. The conscious application means however that he is aware of what he is doing at all times.

The repetitive action required in applying the park brake as taught today means that for the simple pallett handling outlined by Wayne, the handbrake has to be applied and released around 8-10 times. Do the math and you can see that in a normal shift, the figure is mind blowing. Park brakes are not designed for this intensive use and by teaching this non sensical way of driving, productivity is negatively impacted, park brakes wear out very quickly, downtime is increased and operators can face strain injuries because of the fact that the brake is designed to be applied sparingly.

The acid test is that in the real world, no-one drives as they are taught. It cannot be enforced because it is non sensical. It is high time that training authorities wake up, smell the roses and modify their practice such that the correct way is to apply the service brake which holds the truck safe when making all hydraulic movements.

My thanks to all who have contributed to this debate so far.....

Hi Wayne, I just like to say that I also agree with real world training. However the problem is that everyones real world is different... So to enable everyone the opportunity to operate in a safe controlled manner, without giving the option to increase the risk or even cut corners certain procedures need to be taught and followed. I must admit that so far I have not come across an operator who can think/concentrate and react from start of a shift to the end... 100% concentration is something we humans are not good at.. Hence the need to know how to control our operations..

Can't say I know what a SDCB lift truck is.. But here in the UK the majority of trainees are trained on a counterbalance 2000kg or less or reach truck. If an operative were to be trained on such a truck that you were unable to apply the parking brake then of course it would not be taught. This is not really what the discussion is about.. But point taken.

This is not an issue in the US. OSHA does not speak on the matter, neither does ANSI/ASME. In fact I never heard of it until now. I see the points on both sides but am glad it is not a battle I have to fight, since I do not feel it is needed in all reality!

Hi again, Yes I do agree with you both, but Basic training gets the trainee to use the truck in a safe control manner, and as for use of the service brake depending on the type of truck this is also taught.. If when doing a refresher course an experianced operator fails to apply the park brake you are unable to mark as fault unless the truck moves and not the mast. All safe operating procedures need to be included in Basic training along with reasons why. Giving the operator the choice to assess for them selves what action is needed when operating.

We received this comment in the course of the day, from an Australian Trainer and thought it would be good to add it into the forum...........The use of the hand brake when raising or lowering was of interest. Many trainers in Australia insist that the hand brake is applied in this circumstance and often incorrectly tell trainees it is a legal requirement. It is not so long as the forklift is secured from movement via the service brake and selection of neutral. The benefit of using the handbrake however is that it does ensure there is no forklift movement with the mast/load raised - one of the key reasons for the catastrophic lateral roll-over. We train all new operators to use the hand brake and explain the reasons why. However as this practice is not common in the workplace (probably zero) we allow them to move to the service brake when more experienced. I certainly never penalise licence applicants when conducting a licence assessment when they opt to use the service brake over the hand brake and nor does the assessment instrument allow me to penalise them. Sounds like similar issues your writers were discussing.

I'm fully aware of the procedures Aidie but I am challenging this use of the park brake which is not designed for this level of mis-use. The service brakes are much more powerful, generally self adjusting and will hold the truck more securely than a park brake. Operators should be trained to apply the service brakes securely when making hydraulic movements. If you study any application, operators in the real world do not practice what they have been taught. Once they get their license, the park brake is generally used as designed but in not promoting the use of the service brakes whilst making hydraulic movements, we lose the opportunity of ensuring safe practice. The use of the park brake as enforced by the training agencies is non-sensical, impractical and ripe for review.

Hi Kelly, Having looked at the opening discussion, it appears that Vic is not fully aware of the procedures and why its important to use the parking brake when using the Hydraulic controls. Mainly to prevent the truck from moving allowing the operative to concentrate on the task in hand, and to not assume that by having a foot on the service brake that everything will be fine. The reason that so many of the safe operating skills are forgotten can be due to the work pressures alot of operators find themselves under. Alot being attributed to inappropriate management practices.

Vic - I am not exactly sure how your regulatory body in the UK works, but perhaps you could contact them and ask them to open a "Comment Period" on the rule. In the US, if you can show a valid concern / issue with a rule, you can request a review (not that it will always happen). It is a slow moving process, but if you can prove your point through common workplace examples, someone may listen. I have seen this happen in the US with OSHA as well as other regulatory bodies. If you can prove an unsafe practice in the rule by using several examples, it will go a long way towards maiking your case.

If drivers do not drive in this way, then they automatically fail their test. Once they have passed the test, the handbrake rule is forgotten as it is impracticable. My concern is that, if they are not trained to use the service brakes, then there could be an issue. In addition, the chance of repetitive strain injury, increased component failure (park brake levers and cables are not designed for such intensive use) all add up to a non sensical approach whch is being enforced in the UK. How can we get this situation to change to th ecorrect practice and reflect reality.

You will find regulation in HSE Safety in workingwith Lift Trucks Firtspublished 1979, Revised 1992 pages 21 and 22 : " when the load is over the stack, stop, apply parking brake and bring the..."other " halt at the face of the stack and apply parking brake...", also in FEM instructions for Lift truck drivers , 7 edicion in spanish " avanzar lentamente la carretilla hasta que la carga se encuentra encima del lugar de apilado y apretar el freno de mano" page 11.

Vic,

Interesting, I don't know anything about the UK rules but I agree that when a standard is not realistic or accurate that creates a problem during training. Operators get frustrated since they know it is wrong and may wonder what other rules they need not follow.