Some forklifts have accessories on them suck as backup alarms, strobe/blue lights, fire extinguishers, brake lights, tail lights, etc. But are they functional? These accessories must work.
There are many questions regarding these items. The primary one is, “Are they mandatory?” Well OSHA doesn’t mandate that any of these items be placed on a lift truck. What they will mandate is, if they are on the truck, they must be function properly.
Many times, there is tape over a back upu alarm wher the customer feels it is OK because it’s working – but it’s not functioning properly. You muffle down the alarm by putting tape over it, and it no longer operates at the decibel rating that it was designed to. No only is this an OSHA violation, but if someone gets hurt, there could be some legal ramifications.
If your brake lights have a cracked or broken lens, or a fire extinguisher that is expired, these are all potential OSHA violations.
Additionally, if you have a backup alarm on one lift, OSHA may feel you need them on all the lifts. Many times, it’s your insurance company that requires these items to be put on a forklift. As a company, if you feel that these items will help with safety in your company, just remember – they must work!
But no one safety device is a silver bullet. They are just aids to help with safety. Ultimately, it’s up to the Operators to still look behind them and watch their tail swings. It’s also up to pedestrians to look before they cross the aisle ways.
