Daily safety inspections save lives and downtime!

Most states recommend them, some states enforce them. There is no doubting that a daily safety inspection of your forklifts provides peace of mind against breakdowns and injuries. Scafftag offer a complete solution in helping you operate as a "best practice" company. Our Forkliftag is a durable, weatherproof inspection tagging system with an easy-to-follow checklist to be completed daily by the operator. The checklist is found on the front side of the insert whilst the reverse side has the facility to record up to 30 inspections. The insert is placed in a holder that is permanently attached to your forklift. The holder also displays the warning message "Do Not Use" which can be quickly displayed by simply removing the insert if an inspection finds a fault. Inserts may also be filed away once fully completed, providing an audit trail of your inspections. A more comprehensive paper trail can be achieved by using our Black Book. The book not only contains risk assessment guidance, operator training records and registers but detailed carbon copy reports of all your inspections & faults. To help implement your daily inspection system we offer FREE inspection posters displaying visual guidance along with key safety information. Why not check out our website today www.scafftag.com to download a Forkliftag brochure and view our entire product range which help make your workplace safer!

Hi Graham,

We make system which records checklist response electronically which you can see on your computer. If they don't complete the checklist in user defined time, it will turn off the equipment and send an email to desired personnel. The system also tracks operators' training date and does not allow access if training certification is expired.

Additonally it records impact which can help identify abusive operators and reduce avaoidable damage. You may visit our site at assetor.net or look us up onthe web at Access Control Group, Mountainside, NJ.

We produce a log book for this purpose, it allows for 12 months 7 days x 3 shifts , aplastic re sealable wallet and velcro strips so it can be afixed to the fork lift. Go to the web site logbooks.com.au All the best calvin

Paper checklists are hard to enforce. Electronic chekclists with autohorized operator access can eliminate comliance related issues. There is a cost associated with it but compliance can be far better and there is an email notification on compliance status. You may visit assetor.net to learn more (look at Vigilant G2).

GO to logbooks.com.au you will find 38 varieties of logbooks designed for Australia and NZ they attend all the safety shows in QLD NSW VIC & WA ( Qld will be in 2009. ) Alternative with WA

Their logbooks are inexpensive easy to use cater for 3 shifts if required , provide provision for 12 months recording, come in a resealable plastic wallet with velcro strips to adhere to machine or vehicle etc. Hope this helps

Collective Intelligence Australia have many solutions to assist with the challenges of forklift drivers completing regular vehicle checks. One of these may well suit you. Our systems are designed to quickly and accurately inform a supervisor or manager of an exception with their fleet of vehicles or with a particular operator. In the case of the problem where no one in an organisation acts on the highlighted problem then if need be we'll call or email the service providor for you.

I too have seen many ways of performing daily checks.. The most effective seem to involve both a good level of training, and then monintoring of the inspection. Even more importantly, the follow through needs to be there. All to often I see the check lists filled out for the last 2 months noting a problem, (the supervisor has been let know) and no one has called for repair or any other follow up. Further, repairs noted needed during routine maintenance are not being performed..

Another way to ensure checklist is performed is to install fleet management system such as Vigilant G2 which requires operator to perform checklist and monitor equipment usage. Inspection failures can be emailed to supervisor/maintenance and optionally "locked out" to prevent equipment from further damage.

You may visit assetor.net to learn more. Please note, operator training is paramount. Our system can help management hold theor people accounatble.

There is no doubt that a forklift driver requires a degree of training if a start up checkist is asking them to check mechanical items such as oil and coolant levels and any system manual or automated needs management.

If the system installed however insists that individual questions are answered and immediate results are given via say an email to management then the seat and the seat belt would probably be fixed by now. If not, then at least the reponsibility to resolve the problem is with someone who probably has the authority to order the replacement parts rather than still with the forklift driver.

Congratulations to you all on your endeavours and motivation.

A word of warning though.

I undertake forklift operator refresher training from time to time. It starts with a 1.5 hour session on the real risks with forklifts and includes a sample forklift inspection. Then each operator is individually taken out and asked to do a check of their forklift before demonstrating their forklift operating skills while undertaking a range of common tasks in the workplace.

It becomes quite obvious that in spite of the presence of checklists most have never done a full check because:
1. THey don't know how to open up the engine compartment - where applicable this may include not knowing where the engine cover latch is; not knowing how to swing the LPG cyclinder out of the way, not knowing how to swing the seat out of the way...
2. If they can do 1 above not knowing where the engine oil dip stick is, the hydraulic level dipstick is, not knowing where to check the coolant level, not realising they should check battery levels... etc

Managing this situation is a problem, and especially so where there is either a high turnover in forklift operators, or where the operators are supplied by labour hire firms.

My normal recommendation to companies is to have an appropriately skilled full time employee (mechanic or someone with those skills) do a full check of all forklifts at the start of each week - paid for doing that work, and if necessary brought in early. And that person records real data (for example whether coolant or any other fluid level had dropped, any new damage,...). That way you can be assured that the forklift is thoroughly checked weekly and you have real information.

Then you have operators undertake a basic daily check that does not include engine or battery compartment checks.

Final note - all the above gives a degree of assurance but its not absolute. Went to a site this week with 2 forklifts. Did a tour with the OH&S manager. Spoke to operator of one forklift to get some knowledge of his operation. Manager asked how the reasonably new forklift was going - "Fine though the seat is broken and the seat belt doesn't work - it jams". "Why hasn't a new seat been ordered and seat belt been fixed?" "Too busy!"

Our business specialises in driver and equipment management systems. Our FleetCHECK systems ensure a forklift driver completes their daily safety check. Checks can be set in multiple ways by time, vehicle, driver etc. Questions are all set via a web login and check questions can be specific to each vehicle type or by vehicle groups. Email alerts are sent for drivers not completing their safety checks. Daily emails are sent notifiying which vehicles were checked, by whom and the details of each safety question, such as how long the check took to complete so you know who is rushing through and not completing each with due care. Our systems are extremely flexible and can be designed to suit specific needs.

That's what these are. U.S. OSHA requires a safety check be performed on forklifts as indicated by the code reference below. So we have check lists. It's best to have them signed and filed, in case anything does happen and your safety procedures are questioned.

OSHA Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) Powered industrial trucks. - 1910.178

· Standard Number: 1910.178
· Standard Title: Powered Industrial Trucks.
· SubPart Number: N
· SubPart Title: Materials Handling and Storage
· Applicable Standard: Applicable Standard:

..1910.178(q)(7) (q)(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 vehicle. Such examination shall be made at least daily. Where 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.

ForkliftAction does not allow email or website references in the body of messages, but they do allow you to put your website in your profile, which I have done. You can go to the website, if you want to get more information than it is possible to post here.

Hi Thomas and Graham,
It looks like there are a few of us on the same mission, I am also looking for an alternative simple visual system for recording that the checks are being done.
Thomas,
I would appreciate it if you could also email them to me.
Graham,
If you find something else that works or could be adapted to suit I would be very interested.

Thanks,
Bernie

Tom

Thanks for the info, I am looking for a product that the operators can sign on a daily basis once they have completed the checks, once they have signed I want them to then insert a copy of this signed checklist onto a permanent sign on the forklift within a plastic sleeve. From a managers perspective I can see at any time which trucks have been checked?

Remember these standard forms should be tweeked to match-up with 'your' particular lift truck. Some have lights, and others don't. Same with the reversing alarms, and other optional features. Some not.

Also, if batteries are important to business management, then a schematic of the top of the battery should be printed on the reverse side of the checklist, each cell numbered, with a line to place the operator's signature, so all can rest assure that the cells (which ones) are being checked daily, or per shift, depending on the operating hours of the company.