|
return to safety tip archive index
April 2008
The OSHA standard, Title 29, §1910.178 Powered Industrial Trucks requires that industrial trucks be inspected at least daily and must not be placed into service, or must be removed from service, when any condition exists that adversely affects the safety of the vehicle. So when is a powered industrial truck unsafe to operate? There are the obvious conditions that would adversely affect the safe operation of the vehicle that would require the truck be removed from service, such as faulty steering, poor braking, horn not working and a hoist that is not working properly. But what about some of the less obvious conditions that may exist like a weak horn, worn tires, broken or malfunctioning gauges, broken welds, missing bolts and damaged overhead guards. OSHA would consider an industrial truck that is equipped with a horn as its warning device, as being unsafe if the sound level of the horn has deteriorated to a level that can no longer be heard above the ambient noise in the workplace. Tires that are missing large pieces of rubber would be considered unsafe by OSHA, because they present a risk to the truck operator, thereby making the truck unsafe. OSHA would expect all gauges to be functioning properly for the truck to be considered safe. Any broken welds, missing bolts, and damaged overhead guards would most likely indicate that a truck is unsafe. Such conditions must be repaired and corrected before the truck is placed back in service. It must be noted, however, that these are simply examples of unsafe conditions on a powered industrial truck; this list is not inclusive and there are certainly other conditions that would render a truck unsafe.
Copyright
© 2000 Prest-O-Sales & Service, Inc.
|
