If you own a business and have a forklift on site, you probably know you have specific duties as an employer. And you probably know the reason why Worksafe Victoria have made strict rules regarding employer duties is because forklifts have the potential of causing death and serious injury. Failure to do so can mean heavy penalties.
So now you may be wondering what are the specific duties you have as an employer when you have a forklift on site. Well, there are some very important ones. So whenever a forklift is used in your workplace, here’s a few issues you need to make sure of.
1. While you are operating a forklift, you need to make sure that the operating of the forklift does not impact on the safety of others. Now you may be wondering who others include. Well, pedestrians are definitely in the group of people you have a duty towards. That means if you are going to be sharing the road or footpath with them, then you need to make sure that it does not impact their safety. Therefore, safety is necessary whenever people are around.
2. As an employer, where you have a forklift in operation, you will also need to make sure that the lifting attachments are appropriate for the load. As you rightly know, having the wrong lift attachments can cause serious injury or even death to workers. Therefore, you have a responsibility to everyone in your workplace to check to see that the lifting attachments is exactly what is required for the load. If it’s not, then you know that you got to do something about it immediately.
3. One very important responsibility you have as an employer is to make sure the weight of the load is known. And it is within the safe working limits of the forklift. You probably know this is important because serious injury or even death can occur where the load is over the safe working limits of the forklift. So make sure your staff know this.
4. As you are aware, when your forklift operators are working, they need to make sure that the load remains under control while being lifted or suspended. Failure to do so could cause injury to staff and others.
Anyway, these are just some of the issues you, as an employer need to be aware of when a forklift is in operation. There are others. So you’ll need to make sure of these as well.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Forklift Responsibilities for Business Owners
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Forklift Bucket Attachments, Including Self Dumping, Snow, Fertilizer
A bucket attachment slips onto the front of a forklift or a skid-steer, transforming it into a device for a specialized application. Depending on what application it is intended for and also on heavy equipment brand and model, it features either a universal fit or quick tach attachment. With the right set of bucket attachments, one or two fork trucks or skid steers is all you need to run an operation where multiple, specialized tasks must be performed safely and quickly. Just a few of these applications follow.
Forklift bucket attachments eliminate the need for loaders. Their smaller, streamlined design allows them to access hard-to-reach places where loaders cannot go. Quick tach bucket attachments are ideal for loading sand and gravel, and they can also be used at the end of the day for construction site cleanup. In extreme northern climates, they are routinely employed to move snow. Universal, "slip over the forks" buckets are excellent loaders for elevating roof gravel to the tops of buildings. They can also be used to unload the roof area of tear off trash. When crews need to backfill high walls, a universal fit bucket is usually the preferred tool of choice.
Forklift self-dump bucket attachments transform forklifts into loaders. Designed to slip over the forks of any modern fork truck in a matter of minutes, these buckets require no hydraulics and no modifications whatsoever to the fork truck. These buckets are ideal attachments to use for loading loose materials. The ½ cubic yard capacity makes this bucket attachment ideal for landscape work, masonry, and for moving small quantities of dirt, sand, gravel, mulch, and top soil. It is also particularly useful as a clean-up tool at the end of the day,
Different designs exist for different applications, so each skid steer bucket attachment varies according to its use. Dirt moving models have lower sides and back to make loading and unloading easier. Snow and light material buckets, along with fertilizer buckets, can handle significantly more volume. Utility buckets and cotton seed bucket attachments are deeper in order to hold more contents and to avoid spilling them. All five models can be fitted with optional heavy duty teeth and bolt on blades to increase their pickup power and to prolong their lifestyle in situations involving excessive wear and tear. The newest design, the ribbed-bottom or "skeleton" bucket attachment, has become very popular very quickly in applications that require sifting smaller debris and dirt away from larger materials being loaded and transported.
Root Grapplers let you do more than simply load and pile logs and brush. They make it easy to move bulky, hard-to-handle materials safely and quickly. After major hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornados, they are the best choice for demolition and cleanup of storm debris. One of the biggest benefits they offer is their ability to sift out dirt when moving larger piles of trash and heavy dirt. Utility lines and cables remain safe because the tines of a root grapple bucket attachment curve upward and outward to prevent accidental snagging.
A concrete placement bucket attachment is one of those simple tools that work better than a complicated one. It has no moving parts and no chute to tear up. The simple design makes it easy to use, and its extra high back makes it splatter proof so it won't waste materials.
By: Camille Howe
