Operating a powered industrial truck
To operate a powered industrial truck takes some knowledge and skill; you certainly cannot just jump on one and be away. Many an accident has been caused through the improper use of industrial trucks; it is estimated around 95,000 workers each year are injured through this and around 100 killed in incidents relating to powered industrial trucks.
When you use an industrial truck, you must first understand how they work. Industrial trucks tend to be narrow yet tall so it is not surprising that they can fall over fairly easily; it is certainly not the same level of stability experienced in a car. Stopping one is also quite different to stopping a car; industrial trucks do not stop as quickly.
To understand how industrial trucks are so different consider how their centre of gravity is different. With industrial trucks there are two weights each on different sides of a pivot point – that pivot point is the front wheels. When you put a load on the forks, the load must be balanced by the industrial truck’s weight. When you pick up a weight on the forks, there is then a new centre of gravity created by the combined two. How stable the truck is will depend on how much load is on it and where that centre of gravity is.
When you go to use industrial trucks they must always be inspected first and if they are not safe, they must be removed from use immediately for health and safety reasons.
Tags: fork-lift trucks, industrial trucks, warehouse storage, warehouse trucks