A forklift is a powerful industrial truck used to lift and move extremely heavy industrial loads to considerable heights. They are used in the manufacturing and warehousing industries by workers who risk devastating injuries or death when operating a forklift. In fact, every year 85 people die and 35,000 people are seriously injured in forklift related accidents, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Â
There are three common causes that result in death or devastating injuries for forklift operators. They are forklift overturns, workers getting struck, crushed, or pinned by a forklift, and workers falling from a forklift.
Forklifts should only be operated by trained and licensed operators who have received their certification. Some other reasons why forklifts are dangerous to operate include:
Many times it is an operator error that causes an accident. However, forklift accidents can also occur when the employee operating the forklift is not properly trained or the forklift malfunctions because it is not checked regularly to make sure it works. In these cases, it is the employer’s fault if an employee is killed or injured.
