Page 118 - Alex Ruscuklic - Complete Works

Social expectations are changing
Whereas safety was once regarded as an ‘extra’ component of running a business, today it has become a core activity. When built into day-to-day operations it will reflect current community expectations and meet the requirements of a range of laws, Codes of Practice, and Australian and International Standards.
Where safety failings lead to prosecutions however, the courts are imposing significant penalties. In a recent Victorian case, a forklift trainer was convicted and fined $20,000 after leaving trainees alone to operate forklifts while he went to the office. In another matter, a company was fined $400,000 after a truck driver died from head injuries he received from a crate, which fell while being moved by an unlicensed forklift operator.
Each state or territory has different means of dealing with identified safety breaches and it is in your interests to understand what these are and how they can be applied.
Forklift designers, workplace designers, suppliers, employers and employees all have specific responsibilities in legislation to identify and eliminate workplace hazards. All stakeholders have a responsibility to exercise due diligence in referring to technical standards, guidance and legislation in order to fulfil their obligations.
OHS Inspectors can be the best source of advice on meeting this need. Although their primary role is as enforcement officers, their role as competent advisors cannot be underestimated in making your workplace safe, efficient and successful.
Workplace consultation via health and safety representatives, health and safety committees or toolbox meetings also provides opportunities to develop safety improvement protocols.
The world of forklifts is getting more complex
Whereas a one tonne forklift would once have been acceptable for typical loads in an average warehouse, the norm now is to have one with a carrying capacity of two to 2.5 tonnes (irrespective of the many forklifts and attachments designed for special tasks) – indicating just one of the many changes introduced as businesses adapt to bigger and more complex worksites such as distribution centres.
The many models now on the market must be assessed against engineering principles laid down in Australian Standard AS 2359 before being supplied to Australian workplaces along with the information needed to allow them to be operated safely.
With only three points of weight distribution due to the need for a rear steering axle, forklifts are inherently unstable and can be vulnerable to road surface irregularities and inappropriately positioned loads. The load capacity over a range of mast movements must be determined by a person suitably qualified for calculating safe working loads. The weight of attachments, reach, distance from the counterweight, loads to be shifted, and carriage tilt – all need to be taken into consideration.
Use of jib attachments, for example, will lower the maximum Safe Work Load (SWL) by 20% even if it is within the standard Australian tine 600 mm load centre, due to the potential for slightly swinging loads to alter the effective load centre and thereby increase instability.
A typical two-tonne counterbalance forklift may weigh more than four tonnes with sideshift or drum grab loaded. Placing a load centre beyond the standard forklift tine 600-millimetre load centre, or raising loads, will dramatically influence the designed stability of a nominal safe working load.
Imported forklifts – beware!
There is a range of potential safety issues associated with imported second-hand forklifts. Overloading and unstable loads can occur if SWL plates are in pounds, not kilograms. Furthermore, purchasing from countries that use a smaller standard pallet can produce inherent stability issues. In these cases, a suitably qualified person needs to recalculate load capacity at height and tilt.
For instance, a Japanese forklift designed to use a standard one-metre pallet (as compared with Australia’s standard 1.2-metre pallet), will need to have the load centre placed 100mm further out from the “triangle of stability” when used locally. Though not a huge distance, this can still be significant particularly if the load is raised, poorly loaded or carried on uneven ground.
SAFETY FIRST . . . ALWAYS
SAFETY FIRST . . . AL
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