You would think forklift safety training and forklift licenses would be a given for all businesses. After all, operating a forklift is fairly a dangerous work. Forklifts are large pieces of machinery with a number of moving parts and quite a bit of power. While they make many tasks much easier, there is a high risk of injury and property damage if something goes wrong during forklift operation.

Forklifts can cause damage when items slip off the tyres or become torn or punctured by them. This can cause the loss of product as well as the spillage of solvents, chemicals or other hazardous substances. Forklift operator error and accidents cost time and money. They may also result in injury or even death. Around 28.5% of all workplace fatalities are caused by a falling or tipping forklift load, and around 34% of worker fatalities in 2015 were drivers of heavy machinery. These operator errors also cause a stunning 2 billion dollars in damaged products per year.

Forklift injuries cause around 85 fatalities and 35,000 serious injury accidents per year. Averaging all stats for both serious and minor injuries, this means that well over 10 percent of all forklift users will be involved in some kind of accident in the coming year.

The most common causes of fatal forklift accidents include:

The forklift tipping over and crushing the operator: 42%
Crush injury between the forklift and a surface besides the ground: 25%
Crush injury between 2 forklifts: 11%
Being struck or run over by a forklift: 10%
Struck by falling material being carried by a forklift: 8%
Falling from a forklift platform: 4%
When it comes to fatalities from forklift accidents, over 42% occur during the manufacturing process. This is not surprising due to the prevalent use of forklifts in this industry.

Close to 24% of major forklift accidents occur in the construction industry, 12.5% in the wholesale trade industry, 11% in the transport industry, 9% in retail trade and just over 1% of forklift accidents occur in the mining industry.

Forklift Operator Training Reduces Accidents, Fatalities
Fatalities and major accidents can occur in just about every industry that requires a forklift for operation and the transport of goods and materials. However, numerous studies have indicated that many, many forklift accidents can be prevented with proper forklift training.

As you can see, forklift driver safety training is crucial. It can minimize accidents and fatalities on the job while also reducing financial losses from damaged goods. Forklift drivers who operate this machinery without training pose an immediate danger to both themselves and everyone in the work area.

A safe operation is paramount to the success of a business. Safety keeps a business viable and helps contribute to continued profits down the road. Since workers tend to reflect the attitude of the business owners and management, it is important to make safe forklift use a priority at the highest levels. If you haven’t yet implemented a forklift driver training course for your workers, it’s time to do so.

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